Enabling Middle Mile Broadband Infrastructure Program
Middle mile infrastructure is any broadband infrastructure that does not connect directly to an end-user location. The Middle Mile Grant Program provides funding for the expansion and extension of middle mile infrastructure across U.S. states and territories. In total, the program allocated $980 million to fund projects for the construction, improvement, or acquisition of middle mile infrastructure covering more than 370 counties across 40 states and Puerto Rico in Summer 2023. The ultimate purpose of this funding is to expand and strengthen U.S. high-speed internet networks by reducing the cost of connecting areas that are unserved or underserved to the internet backbone.
Government, industry, nonprofits, other associations, and partnerships of two or more entities are eligible to receive Middle Mile funding.
Eligible uses of funds include:
• Construction, improvement, or acquisition of facilities and equipment
• Engineering design, permitting, and work related to project reviews
• Personnel costs, including salaries, and benefits for staff and consultants
• Other costs necessary to programmatic activities
Click here for the most up-to-date information on the Middle Mile program.
Related content
Tracking Project Progress in the Middle Mile Program
By: Sarah Bleau, Director of the Middle Mile Program, NTIA
Across six Internet for All grant programs, NTIA is already funding hundreds of individual projects, with hundreds more to come. A new type of data dashboard shows how the public can monitor the progress of construction and implementation related to projects in their area.
Careful monitoring and oversight of grantees is key for ensuring timely execution of funded projects and minimizing the risk of waste, fraud, and abuse. NTIA has built regular reporting requirements into its grant programs, and these new dashboards will give the public increased transparency into those reports.
The Enabling Middle Mile Broadband Infrastructure Program is the subject of the first dashboard to launch. The objective of the program is to build new or more resilient middle mile networks so that high-speed Internet service can be made available and affordable for everyone in America. It is the force multiplier for the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program, lowering the cost of deployment of so-called “last mile” infrastructure that connects peoples’ homes to the Internet.
Constructing the Digital Landscape: Highlights of NTIA’s Middle Mile Program
By: Sarah Salgado, Broadband Program Specialist, Office of Internet Connectivity and Growth
Generations before us built infrastructure such as electricity, water, and sewer systems to serve everyone in America. Now, it is our generation’s turn to connect everyone in America to the tools they need to thrive in the modern digital economy through reliable, affordable, high-speed Internet service. Achieving this ambitious goal requires the development of middle mile infrastructure.
In 2023, NTIA awarded nearly $980 million to deploy over 12,500 miles of new middle mile fiber through the Enabling Middle Mile Broadband Infrastructure (Middle Mile) Program to 36 organizations across 40 states and territories. This investment will build new and resilient Internet highways that help lower the cost for last-mile providers to deploy future networks and increase end users' access to reliable, affordable, high-speed Internet service.
NTIA recently announced the first Middle Mile Program grantee in the nation to begin construction. Most of these grant projects are currently under environmental review, and NTIA expects additional grantees to be able to start construction on the first projects in the coming months.
NTIA-Funded High-Speed Internet Project Breaks Ground in Nevada
WASHINGTON – A project funded by a $24 million high-speed Internet grant from the Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) broke ground in Reno, Nevada today.