NTIA Gives 46 Grant Awards to States and Territories to Plan for FirstNet Deployment
NTIA is pleased to announce it has completed making 46 grant awards under the State and Local Implementation Grant Program (SLIGP) 2.0, which will help states and territories prepare for FirstNet’s buildout of the nationwide public safety broadband network. NTIA announced the initial awards on March 1, 2018, to 12 states, and continued making additional SLIGP 2.0 grants in March and April.
The grants are an outgrowth of The Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012, which directed NTIA to establish a grant program to assist states and territories with planning for FirstNet, a nationwide wireless broadband network for public safety that that launched last year under the leadership of Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross. Between July 2013 and June 2014, NTIA awarded $116.5 million in grants to 54 U.S. states and territories to consult with FirstNet and perform outreach to public safety stakeholders.
The original grants expired February 28, 2018, and many recipients spent less than expected, leaving leftover funds. NTIA’s SLIGP 2.0 program used the leftover funds for a second round of grants to allow for a broader range of planning activities, such as assisting state, local and tribal governments in developing data sharing agreements, helping with the transition of public safety applications to the national public safety broadband network, analyzing coverage gaps, and convening stakeholder meetings at FirstNet’s request.
NTIA is providing an initial increment of funding in the first nine months of the SLIGP 2.0 program and a second increment for the next 15 months. The initial funding totaled $12.6 million, while the second funding increment, expected to be disbursed in the last quarter of calendar year 2018, will deliver another $20 to $22 million to these same grant awards.
Every state and territory that sought a SLIGP 2.0 grant was awarded funding but some states did not apply for follow-up grants. The following SLIGP 2.0 grant recipients were awarded after March 1. The amounts reflect the initial funding; additional funds will be awarded based on availability.
| Recipient | Initial funding amount |
|---|---|
| State of Alabama, Office of Information Technology | $250,000 |
| American Samoa Department of Homeland Security | $200,000 |
| Arizona Department of Administration | $250,000 |
| California Office of Emergency Services | $425,000 |
| Connecticut Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection | $61,587 |
| Colorado Department of Public Safety | $250,000 |
| Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands | $200,000 |
| State of Delaware | $200,000 |
| Florida Department of Management Services | $425,000 |
| Guam Homeland Security Office of Civil Defense | $200,000 |
| Hawaii State Department of Defense | $250,000 |
| Illinois Emergency Management Agency | $425,000 |
| Indiana Integrated Public Safety Commission | $250,000 |
| Michigan Department of State Police | $425,000 |
| Minnesota Department of Public Safety | $250,000 |
| Missouri Department of Public Safety | $250,000 |
| New Hampshire Department of Safety | $250,000 |
| New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness | $425,000 |
| New York Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services | $425,000 |
| Nevada Department of Public Safety | $250,000 |
| State of North Carolina, Department of Information Technology | $425,000 |
| State of North Dakota - Information Technology Department | $199,992 |
| State of Oklahoma | $250,000 |
| Puerto Rico Office for Public Safety | $250,000 |
| Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency | $249,669 |
| South Dakota Bureau of Information and Telecommunications | $196,660 |
| Texas Department of Public Safety | $424,999 |
| Utah Communications Authority | $250,000 |
| Vermont Department of Public Safety | $200,000 |
| Virginia Department of Emergency Management | $360,324 |
| Washington State Military Department | $250,000 |
| West Virginia Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management | $250,000 |
| State of Wyoming | $200,000 |
| U.S. Virgin Islands Office of the Governor, Bureau of Information Technology | $200,000 |
The SLIGP 2.0 grant awards will enable public safety entities and personnel across the nation to continue working with FirstNet as it implements the nationwide public safety broadband network.