The Broadband Opportunity Program is a competitive reimbursement grant program within the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity’s (DEO) Office of Broadband (Office), created to expand broadband Internet service to unserved areas of this state, which will encourage job creation, capital investment, and the strengthening and diversification of local economies.
Donor Name: Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO)
State: Florida
Counties: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 06/23/2023
Size of the Grant: $5 million
Grant Duration: 2 years
Details:
Grant funds may not be used to install or deploy broadband internet service to a geographic area in which broadband internet service is already deployed by at least one service provider. The Program was created and is governed by section 288.9962, F.S.; and the Florida Legislature appropriated $400 million in federally funded State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) to increase access to reliable, affordable, high-speed internet service within the State.
Prioritization
Priority will be provided to applications which:
- Offer broadband internet service to important community institutions (libraries, educational institutions, public safety facilities, health care facilities).
- Facilitate the use of telemedicine and electronic health records.
- Serve economically distressed areas of the state as measured by indices of unemployment, poverty, or population loss significantly greater than the statewide average.
- Provide for scalability to transmission speeds of at least 100 Mbps download and 10 Mbps upload.
- Include a component to actively promote the adoption of the newly available broadband Internet service in the community.
- Provide evidence of strong support for the project from citizens, government, business, and institutions in the community.
- Provide access to broadband Internet service to the greatest number of unserved households and businesses.
- Leverage greater amounts of funding for a project from private sources.
- Demonstrate consistency with the Florida Strategic Plan for Broadband.
Funding Information
- A grant awarded under this program, when combined with any state or local funds, may not fund more than fifty percent (50%) of the total cost of the project.
- A single project may not be awarded a grant in excess of $5 million.
- All funds must be obligated by December 31, 2024, and be expended by DEO by December 31, 2026.
Eligible Activities
- Eligible activities for Broadband Opportunity Program Funding include installation or deployment of infrastructure that supports the provision of reliable, affordable high-speed broadband internet service in unserved areas of the state (section 288.9962, F.S.).
- Any costs reimbursed with Broadband Opportunity Program funds must be reasonable and allocable, as described in 2 C.F.R Part 200.404 and Part 200.405, respectively.
Eligibility Criteria
- Broadband Opportunity Program awards are available to corporations, limited liability companies, general partnerships, and limited partnerships that are organized under the laws of this state or otherwise authorized to transact business in this state, political subdivisions, and Indian Tribes. DEO staff are available to provide support throughout the application process.
- Applicants are strongly encouraged to attend all scheduled webinars and trainings provided by DEO.
For more information, visit Broadband Opportunity Program.
