§950bb–3 Community Connect Grant Program

Summary

Creates the Community Connect Grant Program to give grants to groups to bring broadband to rural places. Eligible broadband service: internet that meets speeds the Secretary sets, at least the FCC’s minimum. Eligible service area: places with less than 10 Mbps download and less than 1 Mbps upload. Eligible entity: a legal organization (like a tribe, state, local government, cooperative, corporation, or nonprofit) that can sign contracts and run broadband—but not individuals or partnerships. Rural area: as defined elsewhere in the law. Grants can pay to build, buy, or lease equipment, spectrum, land, or buildings and to create or improve a community center. Projects must offer broadband to each essential community facility and to homes and businesses in the proposed area. For at least 2 years the grantee must give free broadband at a community center, provide at least 2 public computer access points, and pay bandwidth for essential community facilities that ask for it. Grants cannot pay to duplicate existing broadband or for regular operating costs (except the free service bandwidth and allowed spectrum costs). No more than the lesser of 10% of the grant or $150,000 may be used to make the community center free-access ready. Grantees must provide a cash match of at least 15% of the grant (not federal money unless a law allows). Applications must show the matching funds. Congress authorized $50,000,000 per year for fiscal years 2019 through 2023.