CPF Allocates $228 Million to Launch Open Access Grant Program in New York

WASHINGTON, January 23, 2024 – The Treasury Department on Monday appropriated more than $228 million from the Capital Projects Fund to launch New York’s ConnectALL Municipal Infrastructure Program, a grant initiative designed to foster open access and predominantly publicly-controlled, last-mile fiber broadband infrastructure.

The program is said to support diverse models of municipal broadband and public-private partnerships, enabling eligible public entities, such as local and Tribal governments, municipal utilities, and utility cooperatives, to collaborate with private entities like internet service providers and builders and owners of broadband infrastructure.

On the same day the $228 million award was announced, the state issued a request for applications available through the ConnectALL website. Eligible applicants are invited to register for an upcoming information session hosted on February 1st by ConnectALL.

In addition, New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced the completion of the Municipal Infrastructure pilot projects, led by the New York Power Authority, which leveraged an initial $10 million investment from ConnectALL to fund municipal broadband projects in four upstate communities in New York, linking more than 3,000 homes to new, open-access, high-speed internet networks.

The MIP gives priority to projects targeting unserved and underserved locations, while also prioritizing eligible applicants based on various categories, including experience, cost, project readiness, broadband service quality, and the impact on digital equity.

Tuesday’s announcement is in addition to the $100 million in CPF funding the Treasury Department awarded to New York last year, under the American Rescue Plan, which is being used to connect 100,000 low-income housing units and businesses to affordable, high-speed broadband. 

To date, the state’s $1 billion ConnectALL Initiative has overseen the successful launch and implementation of several programs to advance broadband access, including:

• The Affordable Housing Connectivity Program to bring new broadband infrastructure to homes in affordable and public housing leveraging a $100 million federal investment from the Treasury Department’s CPF. The program is currently accepting applications for internet service providers here.
• The ConnectALL Deployment Program to fund internet service providers to reach unserved and underserved locations, drawing on an allocation of $664.6 million in federal funding from the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program, as described in the ConnectALL Broadband Deployment Initial Proposal and Five-Year Action Plan.
• The Digital Equity Program leveraging a $50 million investment to promote digital literacy and other non-infrastructure barriers to internet adoption and use, as described in the New York Digital Equity Plan.

To date, the Capital Projects Fund has awarded more than $9 billion for broadband, digital technology, and multi-purpose community center projects in all states and the District of Columbia. States estimate funding through the program will reach over two million locations with expanded internet access, in addition to the hundreds of thousands of individuals who will be served annually by multi-purpose community facilities.