The Broadband Acceleration Grant Program is a critical program in Kansas’ plan to address broadband gaps. The Program is designed to offset the capital expenses in the deployment of broadband to unserved areas. The goal of this program is to facilitate broadband access to all Kansans while promoting practices that increase deployment and encourage adoption.
The Broadband Acceleration Grant program is the first state-funded competitive broadband grant opportunity, focusing on the construction of broadband infrastructure to bring access to high-quality internet service to Kansas homes, businesses, and communities. The need for access to critical broadband infrastructure was significantly magnified in 2020. Demands of remote learning and work, telehealth services, online business and e-government shifts, and day-to-day quality of life implications that demonstrate a compelling need exists in many areas across Kansas.
The program launched in 2020 and is in the process of investing $85 million over ten years toward bridging the digital divide in Kansas. It was created as a direct result of broadband modernization funding provided through the Kansas Department of Transportation’s Eisenhower Legacy Transportation program (IKE) in the 2020 legislative session. Administered by the KOBD, the program allots $5 million annually for the first three years, and $10 million annually for the following seven years.
The KOBD is initiating the Broadband Acceleration Grant, Year 3 (BAG 3.0) Program which is a focused effort to improve last mile broadband infrastructure and associated middle mile capabilities as applicable within the State of Kansas. Through this program, applications will be solicited, and grants will be awarded for broadband and associated middle mile infrastructure enabling last mile locations. Funds will be targeted to areas that are unlikely to receive broadband service without state or federal funding support. The sections outlined within this document will describe the solutions being requested, program guidelines and application requirements for enabling unserved locations via new broadband infrastructure.
| Awardee | Region Awarded | Award Amount | Project Amount | Premises Passed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Valley Technologies | Northeast | $239,618.77 | $599,046.93 | 49 |
| Haviland Broadband | Southwest | $249,504.13 | $499,008.25 | 19 |
| IdeaTek | Southeast | $879,976.50 | $2,739,981.00 | 1,491 |
| IdeaTek | Northwest | $132,906.50 | $265,813.00 | 46 |
| KwiKom | Southeast | $798,432.97 | $1,596,865.94 | 150 |
| KwiKom | Southeast | $565,394.57 | $1,178,074.70 | 73 |
| Midco | Kansas City Metro and East Central | $546,923.00 | $1,093,848.00 | 162 |
| Pioneer Communications | Southwest | $349,749.20 | $874,485.50 | 31 |
| SKT – Twin Valley | Southcentral | $291,112.25 | $582,224.50 | 84 |
| SKT – Twin Valley | Southcentral | $324,851.11 | $649,702.23 | 102 |
| WTC | Northeast | $621,531.00 | $1,553,828.00 | 87 |
| Total Awards – 11 | $5,000,000.00 | $11,632,878.05 | 2294 |
The Kansas Office of Broadband Development (KOBD) has opened the public comment period related to the Broadband Acceleration Grant 3.0 submissions. In efforts to optimize broadband investment in Kansas, promote fiscally responsible practices, and ensure transparency, KOBD is seeking public comment relative to projects requesting funding through the Broadband Acceleration Grant 3.0. The comment period closed on September 5, 2023 at 5 pm CST. To that end, each Broadband Acceleration Grant 3.0 Public Project Proposal and Public Proposed Service Area Map (zip file with .KMZ map(s)) are available for public consumption and comment. This public comment process is intended to allow the public, internet service providers, and interested stakeholders to provide feedback, support, or express concern to KOBD relative to each project seeking investment in broadband infrastructure projects. All comments collected during the public comment period will be posted as part of public disclosure, except for evidence with specific infrastructure assets deemed “proprietary.”
Questions about the public comment may be directed to the KOBD at [email protected].
Please note the following considerations related to the public comment process:
Applicant Response to Public Comment
Broadband Acceleration Grant 3.0 applicants have an opportunity to respond to the public comments received for their proposed grant projects as submitted to the Kansas Office of Broadband Development. Responses regarding concerns or supporting comments may be submitted through 11:59 p.m. CST on September 27, 2023, and will be considered in final grant evaluations conducted by the Kansas Office of Broadband Development. Thank you for your engagement in this process and efforts to expand broadband access in Kansas.
Public Comment Compliance:
If KOBD denies an application for a grant based on “Planned But Not Underway” and “Project Underway” challenges:
| Proposed Project | Proposed County | Project Folder | Proposed Project Number | Public Comment Received |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AMG Technology Frankfort | Marshall | Link to Project Folder | 1 | X |
| AMG Technology Waterville | Marshall | Link to Project Folder | 2 | X |
| Butler Electric Coop Butler West | Butler | Link to Project Folder | 3 | X |
| BVT Nemaha | Nemaha | Link to Project Folder | 4 | |
| Charter Communications Wyandotte | Wyandotte | Link to Project Folder | 5 | X |
| Cox Communications Cedar Creek 3 | Pottawatomie | Link to Project Folder | 6 | X |
| Cox Communications N of Garden City | Finney | Link to Project Folder | 7 | X |
| Cox Communications N of Hutchinson | Reno | Link to Project Folder | 8 | |
| Cunningham Communications Cloud | Cloud | Link to Project Folder | 9 | X |
| Cunningham Communications Jewell | Jewell | Link to Project Folder | 10 | X |
| Cunningham Communications Mitchell | Mitchell | Link to Project Folder | 11 | X |
| Cunningham Communications Republic | Republic | Link to Project Folder | 12 | X |
| EpicTouch Liberal1 | Seward | Link to Project Folder | 13 | X |
| EpicTouch Liberal2 | Seward | Link to Project Folder | 14 | X |
| GBT Hudson | Stafford | Link to Project Folder | 15 | X |
| Giant Communications Ozawkie/Oskaloosa | Jefferson | Link to Project Folder | 16 | |
| Haviland Broadband Rural Wilmore | Kiowa, Comanche | Link to Project Folder | 17 | |
| IdeaTek Eureka | Greenwood | Link to Project Folder | 18 | |
| IdeaTek Highlands | Reno | Link to Project Folder | 19 | X |
| IdeaTek N.Augusta | Butler | Link to Project Folder | 20 | X |
| IdeaTek RenoWest | Reno | Link to Project Folder | 21 | |
| IdeaTek W.ScottCity | Scott | Link to Project Folder | 22 | |
| JBN Agenda | Republic | Link to Project Folder | 23 | |
| KwiKom Montgomery1 | Montgomery | Link to Project Folder | 24 | |
| KwiKom Montgomery2 | Montgomery | Link to Project Folder | 25 | |
| Midco Lecompton | Douglas | Link to Project Folder | 26 | X |
| Pioneer Communications Richfield | Morton | Link to Project Folder | 27 | |
| Pioneer Communications Stevens East | Stevens | Link to Project Folder | 28 | |
| Rainbow Communications Seneca | Nemaha | Link to Project Folder | 29 | |
| Southern Kansas Telephone Cambridge | Cowley | Link to Project Folder | 30 | |
| Southern Kansas Telephone Latham | Butler | Link to Project Folder | 31 | |
| Twin Valley Wellsville | Franklin | Link to Project Folder | 32 | X |
| WTC Riley | Riley | Link to Project Folder | 33 | X |
“Through this program, we are empowering communities to enhance their digital infrastructure, driving economic growth and fostering greater opportunities for all residents,” said Jade Piros de Carvalho, Director of the Office of Broadband Development. “By leveraging these grants, we can expand broadband access, narrow the digital divide and unlock the full potential of our state’s diverse regions.”
Adoption Efforts
Adoption goes beyond access to high-speed internet and speaks to the ability of individuals and communities to harness access for quality-of-life implications. These efforts may include digital literacy training, low-income assistance programs (for equipment and/or broadband service), partnerships with co-working or entrepreneurship organizations, awareness or marketing campaigns, service provision to community anchor institutions and/or additional programing, and other programs designed to meet the needs of the local community.
Applicant Match
At the time of application submission, the applicant must demonstrate available cash reserves in an account(s) of the applicant equal to at least the required amount specified in the sliding scale match table. Matching funds must be used solely for the Project and shall not include any financial assistance from federal sources unless there is a federal statutory exception specifically authorizing the federal financial assistance to be considered as such. An applicant must provide evidence of its ability to comply with this requirement in its application (www.ecfr.gov).
Broadband
Broadband or high-speed internet access allows users to access the internet and internet-related services at significantly higher speeds than those available through “dial-up” services. Broadband speeds vary significantly depending on the technology and level of service ordered. For additional information, visit the source of this information: Getting Broadband Q&A | Federal Communications Commission (fcc.gov).
Co-Investment
Any funds provided by sources other than the applicant such as local, county, and eligible state programs or other contributors.
Community Anchor Institution
Community anchor institution means schools, libraries, medical and healthcare providers, public safety entities, community colleges and other institutions of higher education, and other community support organizations and agencies that provide outreach, access, equipment, and support services to facilitate greater use of broadband service by vulnerable populations, including low-income, unemployed, and the aged (www.usac.org).
Covered Population
Covered populations include aging individuals, incarcerated individuals, other than individuals who are incarcerated in a Federal correctional facility; veterans; individuals with disabilities; individuals with a language barrier, including individuals who (i) are English learners; and (ii) have low levels of literacy; individuals who are members of a racial or ethnic minority group; and individuals who primarily reside in a rural area.
Economically Distressed Community
An area is economically distressed if it has a per capita income of 80 percent or less of the national average, or if it has an unemployment rate that is, for the most recent 24-month period for which data are available, at least one (1) percent greater than the national average unemployment rate. The Kansas counties meeting this definition are in the table below:
Economically Distressed Counties in Kansas
| Allen | Elk | Lincoln | Russell |
| Anderson | Ellsworth | Lyon | Scott |
| Atchison | Finney | Marion | Seward |
| Barton | Ford | Mitchell | Smith |
| Bourbon | Franklin | Montgomery | Stafford |
| Brown | Geary | Morris | Stevens |
| Chase | Graham | Morton | Sumner |
| Chautauqua | Greenwood | Neosho | Washington |
| Cherokee | Hamilton | Norton | Wichita |
| Clay | Harper | Osage | Wilson |
| Cloud | Jackson | Pawnee | Woodson |
| Cowley | Jewell | Reno | Wyandotte |
| Crawford | Kearny | Republic | |
| Doniphan | Kiowa | Rice | |
| Edwards | Labette | Rooks |
The counties listed above can also be found at the Stats America website via http://www.statsameri-ca.org/distress/distress.aspx using the five-year threshold.
Last Mile
Last mile refers to the network infrastructure that carries signals from the network to and from the end-user premise. Depending on the network design and density of the area served, the actual distance of the last mile can be relatively short or maybe considerably longer than a mile.
Middle Mile
Middle mile refers to the portion of the telecommunications network that connects a network operator’s core network to the local network (last mile) plant. Middle mile facilities provide fast, large-capacity connections ranging from a few miles to a few hundred miles.
Partnership
A formal relationship between two or more parties that enter into an agreement for the sake of advancing broadband enablement.
Project
An applicant’s proposal to serve qualifying broadband speeds to unserved areas.
Required Applicant Match
The percentage of funds required by the applicant for the program.
Scalability
The capacity to change the size or scale of the broadband architecture to achieve substantially higher speeds (up to 10 Gbps) with minimal to no investment.
Subsidy
Assistance program applicants are enrolled in to assist with the monthly cost of services. Federal programs include the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB), or Lifeline.
Unserved
For purposes of the LINC Broadband Infrastructure Program, an unserved area is defined as a designated geographic area in which households or businesses are without a fixed, terrestrial connection supporting at least 100 Mbps download and 20 Mbps upload speeds.
Q: Here are the questions I have. These are all from looking through the program guidelines and most specifically Table 1: BAG 3.0 Program Comparison to Previous Capital Projects. Items I would like further description/definition on are the following:
A: Additional information is provided below for the Regional Award Distribution, Covered Population and FCC Service Availability Database categories:
The FCC is no longer accepting Form 477 data updates as of December 31, 2022 and the tool has been replaced by the FCC National Broadband Map, also known as the FCC Broadband Data Collection (BDC) Fabric. All service providers are required to upload their service availability information into FCC Broadband Data Collection Fabric application twice a year to reflect their service capabilities on a per location basis. The BAG 3.0 program uses the FCC BDC information to measure service provider’s service coverage and to determine the degree of unserved within an applicant’s proposed service area. The details of this process and instructions on how to submit such information within the application process can be found within the BAG 3.0 Program Guidelines, pages 20 – 35.
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