The Governor’s Office of Rural Broadband and the Department of Housing and Community Development have announced the following funding opportunities for broadband projects in unserved, rural areas.

Federal Application Assistance

• Provides grants for soft costs related to federal funding applications
• The local jurisdiction is the state applicant and partners with an ISP who is, generally, the applicant for the federal funding.
• Applications are due by December 15, 2019.

Broadband Expansion Pilot Grant Program

• Meant for smaller, in-fill type projects providing service to a pocket of homes lacking broadband service.
• Grants of up to $200,000 for up to 50% of the capital construction costs.
• Applications are due by January 7, 2020.

Broadband Network Infrastructure Grant Program

• Meant for larger networking projects where a large number of unserviced homes are to be provided service.
• Grants from $1 to $3 million for up to 50% of the capital construction costs of a project.
• Grants up to 75% of capital construction costs of projects where at least 20% of the homes served are in designated Sustainable Communities and/or Priority Funded areas
• Applications are due February 21, 2020, and a letter of intent to apply is due December 23, 2019.

Additional information, including grant application instructions and forms, can be found on the Office of Rural Broadband website.

Questions? Please contact Kenrick M. Gordon, Director, Governor’s Office of Rural Broadband at kenrick.gordon@maryland.gov or 301-429-7426​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​.