Opportunity Information: Apply for NTIA BROADBAND INFRASTRUCTURE PROGRAM 21
The BROADBAND INFRASTRUCTURE PROGRAM is a competitive federal grant opportunity administered by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) within the U.S. Department of Commerce. It was created through the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (Public Law 116-260), specifically Division N, Title IX, Section 905, and it is designed to put new federal dollars toward building out broadband infrastructure in areas that lack adequate service. The program is framed to support deployment that expands real, usable fixed broadband access, with an emphasis on getting infrastructure built rather than funding unrelated activities.
At a high level, NTIA uses this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to lay out how applicants can compete for grants to deploy broadband infrastructure. Awards are made on a competitive basis, meaning eligible applicants submit proposals and NTIA selects projects based on the NOFO criteria rather than distributing funds by formula. The program is described as "competitively and technologically neutral," which signals that NTIA is not limiting applicants to a single network technology as long as the proposed solution meets the program requirements. The core focus is on fixed broadband deployment that delivers "qualifying broadband service" in an "eligible service area," terms that are defined in the NOFO and the underlying statute.
A key structural feature of this program is that funding is directed to "covered partnerships" proposing "covered broadband projects." In practical terms, this indicates that NTIA expects collaborative applications rather than single-entity proposals, with the partnership structure and qualifying relationships spelled out in the NOFO's eligibility section. The funded work must be a covered broadband project, meaning the project must involve deploying fixed broadband infrastructure and must be targeted to service areas that meet the eligibility rules. The intent is to ensure federal funds go to places that truly need broadband expansion and that the buildout results in service that meets the program's qualifying thresholds.
From the opportunity record, this is a discretionary grant (not an entitlement), listed under CFDA 11.031, and categorized under "Other" for funding activity with clarification provided in the full NOFO. The estimated scale suggests a relatively large number of awards (an expected 200), implying that NTIA anticipated funding many projects across multiple locations rather than a small number of very large statewide awards. The posted award ceiling in the source data is listed as 0, which typically means the ceiling was not captured in that field or is defined elsewhere in the NOFO rather than being absent in reality; applicants would need to rely on the NOFO text for any per-award maximums, match requirements, or budget constraints.
Timing details in the record show the opportunity was created May 19, 2021, with an original closing date of August 17, 2021. The agency identified is the Department of Commerce, National Telecommunications and Information Administration, and the opportunity number is listed as "NTIA BROADBAND INFRASTRUCTURE PROGRAM 21." While the source data summarizes the purpose and statutory authority, the NOFO itself is where applicants would find the detailed program description, definitions (for eligible areas and qualifying service), partnership requirements, application contents, scoring and selection factors, compliance obligations, and post-award reporting expectations.Apply for NTIA BROADBAND INFRASTRUCTURE PROGRAM 21
- The Department of Commerce, National Telecommunications and Information Admini in the other (see text field entitled explanation of other category of funding activity for clarification) sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "BROADBAND INFRASTRUCTURE PROGRAM" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 11.031.
- This funding opportunity was created on May 19, 2021.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 17, 2021. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 200 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
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