North Dakota received $45 million in American Rescue Plan coronavirus aid to boost broadband infrastructure in the state. North Dakota Information Technology (NDIT) department is seeking feedback on both the proposed plan for the deployment of new broadband infrastructure for communities with limited or no access, and the application process to obtain the grants to help fund this buildout.
The State of North Dakota will use Coronavirus Capital Projects Fund (CPF) grant money earmarked for the deployment of next generation broadband infrastructure to help ensure all communities have fast and reliable access needed to utilize critical online services.
The focus of this program is to build a broadband infrastructure designed to deliver service that reliably meets or exceeds symmetrical speeds of 100Mbps so that communities have future-proof infrastructure to serve their long-term needs.
NDIT is soliciting public comments and/or questions regarding the plan and application process, the draft policy will be made available for a 14-day public comment period – Sept. 16 – Sept. 30 - regarding the plan and the application process. Go to: Broadband Public Comments
NDIT invites the public and stakeholders to participate in a live virtual public input meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 21 at 2 p.m. CT.
Chief Technology Officer Duane Schell and Program Director of Broadband Deployment Kevin Sievert will be introducing the program and answering questions from 2 p.m. – 3 p.m. The meeting link will be posted on our website: American Rescue Plan Act | North Dakota Information Technology (nd.gov)
The Grant Application will be open Oct. 14 and can be found at: American Rescue Plan Act | North Dakota Information Technology (nd.gov) NOTE: The link will only go live on Oct. 14.
NDIT is targeting the beginning of 2023 to announce final awards to applicants / subrecipients of the CPF grants.
For questions regarding the grant program use email address broadband@nd.gov or reach out to public information officers (contact information below).
Background: The CPF Grant program is part of the American Rescue Plan Act. Also called the COVID-19 Stimulus Package or American Rescue Plan, it was designed to speed up the country's recovery from the economic and health effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing recession. The Act allocated a Coronavirus Capital Projects Fund.
The Coronavirus Capital Projects Fund (CPF) addresses many challenges laid bare by the pandemic, especially in rural America, Tribal communities, and low- and moderate-income communities, helping to ensure that all obtain access to the high-quality modern infrastructure, including broadband, needed to access critical services.
The funds can be used for payments to eligible governments to carry out critical capital projects that directly enable work, education, and health monitoring, including remote options, in response to the public health emergency.
The CPF allows recipients to invest in capital assets that meet communities’ critical needs. The proposed Broadband Infrastructure Projects will address this need. More inform can be found at Capital Projects Fund | U.S. Department of the Treasury
C O N T A C T:
Alisa Cook | 701-328-7408
Jecca Geffre | 701-955-0304