Capital Projects Fund

After two years enmeshed in the work of coalition-building, speed test data collection, and pushing state leaders to invest in better telecommunication infrastructure across Oakland’s most disadvantaged neighborhoods, digital equity advocates in the East Bay city are finally seeing the fruits of their labor pay off.

The Maine Connectivity Authority (MCA) awarded two grants totaling $9,600,633 to connect 15,561 homes and businesses across Waldo and Lincoln Counties to expand access to the internet. The grants were made through MCA’s Partnerships for Enabling Middle Mile (PEMM) Program which addresses large-scale, regional broadband needs by leveraging middle-mile infrastructure. These two grants demonstrate 12 collective years of concerted community-driven broadband planning, regional collaboration, and highlight the value of public-private, regional-scale partnerships.

On August 7, 2024, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) released the third funding report showing fiscal year (FY) 2022 data reported by 13 agencies across 70 programs making investments in broadband.

This is the third Federal Broadband Funding Report produced by NTIA, showing fiscal year (FY) 2022 data reported by 12 agencies across 70 programs making investments in broadband. This is the first Federal Broadband Funding Report to highlight trends across three fiscal years of data collected. For the first time, this report not only will release a dashboard of major findings but will also include a comprehensive view of broadband investment data reported across the last three data collections—reflecting broadband investments from FY 2020 to 2022.

States and localities find themselves in a historic moment in relation to broadband investment.

The state of Texas has begun accepting applications for nearly $730 million in broadband funding. Applications are due by August 26, 2024. Applicants can request funding for any of 24 counties. Funding targets the two neediest counties in each of the state’s 12 economic regions.

The Maine Connectivity Authority awarded more than $12 million in grants to fund digital improvements to 12 community organizations across Maine. The grants are part of the Maine Connectivity Authority’s Connectivity Hubs Program, which will help community anchor institutions—such as libraries, community centers, municipal and tribal buildings, and affordable housing developments—provide workforce training, education and telehealth services in areas most impacted by a lack of access to high-speed internet.

The North Carolina Department of Information Technology’s (NCDIT) Division of Broadband and Digital Equity announced an additional $112 million in Completing Access to Broadband (CAB) program projects to connect 25,903 households and businesses in 19 counties to high-speed internet. These projects will be funded by more than $61 million from the federal American Rescue Plan awarded by NCDIT, more than $25 million from counties and nearly $26 million from selected broadband providers:

The Healey-Driscoll Administration, in partnership with Massachusetts Technology Collaborative's (MassTech) Massachusetts Broadband Institute (MBI), awarded $45.4 million in grants through the state’s Broadband Infrastructure Gap Networks Program, a program funded through the U.S.

Governor Tate Reeves (R-MS) announced that the Office of Broadband Expansion and Accessibility of Mississippi (BEAM) recently approved 24 broadband infrastructure projects to be funded by the Capital Projects Fund (CPF). BEAM anticipates additional CPF projects to be approved on a rolling basis throughout the summer. These initial CPF projects will provide approximately $70.9 million of grant funding to build internet service to approximately 27,000 households in 19 counties across the state. Approved project locations by county are: