Scoring Big on Your Middle Mile Application Series: Project Information

The Project Information section is the second major section of the National Telecommunication and Information Administration's (NTIA) middle mile grant application. This portion provides space for applicants to describe the details and timeline of their project. It includes an executive summary, a “level of need narrative”, and a description of government and community involvement. For a successful application, an applicant must make a binding commitment to prioritize at least one of the following:

• Connecting middle mile infrastructure to last-mile networks that service unserved areas;
• Connecting non-contiguous trust lands; and/or
• Offering wholesale broadband service at reasonable rates.

Additionally, applicants will be prioritized for Programmatic Review if they average an 80+ in merit and commit to at least 2 of the following 5 criteria:

• Adopt fiscally sustainable middle mile strategies;
• Commit to offer non-discriminatory interconnect to parties that request it;
• Identify specific terrestrial and wireless last-mile broadband providers that have requested interconnection and demonstrated sustainable plans;
• Identify supplemental investment or in-kind support to accelerate completion of the project; and
• Demonstrate that middle mile grant infrastructure will benefit national security interests.

The application window will close on September 30, 2022. You can find more details here.