Notice of Funding Opportunity Round 2 (2023)

Overview

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The Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program (TBCP) is a $3 billion program, from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Consolidated Appropriations Act, to support Tribal governments bringing high-speed Internet to Tribal lands, including telehealth, distance learning, affordability, and digital inclusion initiatives. The program seeks to improve quality of life, spur economic development, and create opportunities for remote employment, online entrepreneurship, remote learning, and telehealth by expanding broadband access and by providing digital training and inclusion programs to Native American communities.

This second round of funding from the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program will make approximately $980 million available on Native American, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian lands for deployment of Internet infrastructure, affordability programs, telehealth and distance learning initiatives.

This Notice of Funding Opportunity page includes information for Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program eligible applicants. Here, you will find sample budget materials, application guidance, webinar schedules and other materials to help strengthen your application.

You can find full details about this program in the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). Download the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO)

 

 

Application Information

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Complete application packages may be submitted:  

• Electronically through Grants.gov (see Section D.10 of this NOFO for additional information on registration requirements for Grants.gov)
   
• Through electronic mail (email).  Applications submitted by email should be machine-readable and shall not be copy-protected; or by
   
• Postal mail or courier mail to the following address:
   
  • National Telecommunications and Information Administration
    U.S. Department of Commerce
    1401 Constitution Avenue NW, Room 4887
    Attn: Douglas Kinkoph, Associate Administrator
    Washington, DC 20230.
  
  Applications submitted by mail may be in hard copy (paper) or electronic (e.g., CD–ROM, disk, or thumb drive).

Applicants must submit complete application packages using only one of these methods and may not submit partial or duplicate applications using multiple methods of transmission.  Applications submitted by facsimile or by any method not described in this subsection will not be accepted by NTIA.

Eligible Entities may only submit a single application for funding pursuant to this program.  Accordingly, an Eligible Entity’s single application must include the total amount of funding being requested and must account for all projects that will utilize the requested funding.

See Section C.3.a of this NOFO for additional information on the single application requirement.

SAM Unique Entity Identifier Number 

All applicants must supply a SAM Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number.  On April 4, 2022, the federal government stopped using the DUNS Number to uniquely identify entities. Now, entities doing business with the federal government must use the Unique Entity ID created in SAM.gov. Applicants who are new to SAM.gov may register their entity or receive a UEI by signing in to SAM.gov and selecting “Get Started,” then “Register Entity.”  If you are a sub-awardee who just needs a UEI for subaward reporting, choose “Get Unique Entity ID.”

System for Award Management Registration

All applicants must register in the SAM before submitting a complete application packet.  Additionally, the applicant must maintain an active SAM registration with current information at all times during which it has an active federal award or an application or plan under consideration by a federal awarding agency.  Applicants can register for the SAM at Sam.gov/.

See Section D of this NOFO for detailed information concerning application submission requirements.

 

Who Can Apply

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Section 905(a)(8) of the Act specifies the following entities as eligible to receive grants pursuant to the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program: 

• a Tribal Government; 
• a Tribal College or University; 
• the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands on behalf of the Native Hawaiian Community, including Native Hawaiian Education Programs; 
• a Tribal organization; or (v) an Alaska Native Corporation.  

See Section C of this NOFO for additional information concerning the eligibility requirements for this program.

 

Application timeline

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Eligible Entities must submit a single application by the application deadline to be eligible for program funding. The Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program is not a formula or block grant program and a single application for funding must be timely submitted by an Eligible Entity to receive funding consideration from NTIA.

• Applications submitted online through the Grants.gov system must be received no later than 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on January 23, 2024.
• Applications submitted by postal mail or by courier service must be postmarked (for postal mail) or show clear evidence of mailing (for courier submissions) no later than 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on January 23, 2024.
• Applications submitted by electronic mail must be received no later than 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on January 23, 2024.

See Section D in the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for detailed information concerning application submission requirements.

 

Types of Projects Funded

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