ConneCTed Communities Grant Program

ConneCTed Communities is a competitive grant program that will fund the construction and deployment of broadband infrastructure designed to support the goal of universal access to affordable, resilient, and reliable broadband. DEEP is seeking applications for grant funding to facilitate low-income and multi-family curb-to-home and business broadband infrastructure buildout in underserved areas that will result in service at speeds of at least 100 Mbps/100 Mbps. All projects funded through this program must reach substantial completion within twenty-four (24) months of the award or before December 31, 2026, whichever occurs earlier.

The United States (U.S.) Treasury launched the Coronavirus Capital Projects Fund in 2021, which is funded by the American Rescue Plan. It provides ten billion dollars ($10,000,000,000.00) for 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. For a Capital Project to be an eligible use of the Capital Projects Fund, it must meet all of the following criteria: • The Capital Project invests in capital assets designed to directly enable work, education, and health monitoring; • The Capital Project is designed to address a critical need that resulted from or was made apparent or exacerbated by the COVID-19 public health emergency; and, • The Capital Project is designed to address a critical need of the community. The construction and deployment of broadband infrastructure projects is eligible for funding under the Capital Projects Fund program if the infrastructure is designed to deliver, upon project completion, service that reliably meets or exceeds symmetrical download and upload speeds of 100 megabits per second (Mbps). Treasury encourages Awardees to focus on projects that will achieve last-mile connections. Applicants considering funding middle-mile projects are encouraged to have commitments in place to support new and/or improved last-mile service. The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection will administer this Program in accordance with U.S. Treasury guidelines.

Applicants must be eligible to receive Capital Projects Funds. Eligible entities that can apply for the grants from the Program include: • Government entities: Tribal governments; local units of government (e.g., municipalities, counties, and other political subdivisions); State and local agencies • Private for-profit entities: Commercial service providers (established or new entrants) • Non-profit entities: Community organizations; institutes of higher education; etc. • Other: Co-operatives, mutual organizations, utilities Eligible entities must have the technical, managerial, and financial expertise to design, build, and operate high-speed broadband service infrastructure. DEEP will consider covered partnerships consisting of one or more of the above entities and a provider of internet service. DEEP encourages partnerships between public and private entities. While one legal entity must be the official Applicant, and the party to the State’s grant agreement, all partners will be required to participate in the application process. All entities involved in the proposed project must be in good standing and not be prevented from receiving federal or state grants. If the Applicant is seeking to partner with another entity to operate the system, an agreement or draft agreement to do so must be provided with the application. This agreement must address the specific financial terms of this partnership and the specific entity or entities must be identified along with their qualifications. If the application is ultimately awarded, DEEP reserves the right to require modifications to such agreements if they are found to contain terms that are unacceptable to the State of Connecticut. All Applicants must be registered through SAM.gov and have obtained a UEI. Participating broadband service providers operating in the state must comply with required data filings as described in Conn. Gen. Stat. § 16-330b.