Missouri Offers $20 Million in Funding for Cell Towers

The final guidelines for the $20 million Missouri Cell Tower Grant Program have been released by the state’s Department of Economic Development (DED). The state will begin accepting applications in the funding program on Friday, May 26, 2023, and eligible entities have until July 25, 2023, to submit their applications. The program is being funded through the US Department of the Treasury Coronavirus State Fiscal Recovery Fund (SFRF), which is part of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). The program has $17 million available for the construction of new towers and $3 million for retrofitting and/or refurbishing existing towers. If not all the funding is awarded in one of the categories, the remainder can be transferred to the other category. Eligible entities include cellular service providers who own their own towers or can demonstrate a partnership with a tower owner, as well as tower owners that can demonstrate a partnership with a cellular provider. Projects must provide quality service (4G LTE or higher), provide 911 service and be located in unserved high-cost areas, which are those with less than 50 persons per square mile.