Enabling Middle Mile Broadband Infrastructure Program

Key Dates 

All funding for grant awards from the Enabling Middle Mile Broadband Infrastructure Program has been awarded. No additional awards will be announced.  

An eligible entity that received a Middle Mile grant shall demonstrate that it has completed the buildout of 40 percent of project miles by the end of the second year after the award date, 60 percent of project miles by the end of the third year, 80 percent of project miles by the end of the fourth year, and 100 percent of project miles by the end of the fifth year. The project must be completed, lit, and operating no later than five years from the date on which the grant funds are made available to the eligible entity. 

An eligible entity may submit a request for a one (1) year extension, which must include the justification for such an extension and all relevant circumstances.  Requests for extensions will be granted at the sole discretion of the Assistant Secretary. If an extension is granted, the Assistant Secretary shall modify any milestones as necessary under the extension. 

Eligible Uses of Funding 

Grant recipients may only use federal award funds and any non-federal cost share committed to an award to pay for allowable costs under the Middle Mile Grant Program. Allowable costs are determined in accordance with the cost principles identified in 2 C.F.R. Part 200, including Subpart E of such regulations for States and non-profit organizations, and in 48 C.F.R. Part 31 for commercial organizations, as well as in the grant program’s authorizing legislation. In addition, costs must be reasonable, necessary, allocable, and allowable for the proposed project, and conform to generally accepted accounting principles. Except as set out in paragraph d below (addressing allowable pre-application expenses), federal and non-federal funds committed to an award may only be used to cover allowable costs incurred and for allowable closeout costs incurred during the grant closeout process. Based on the scope of the MMG Program, below are non-exclusive examples of eligible uses of MMG Program funds:  

1. Construction, improvement, and/or acquisition of facilities and telecommunications equipment required to deploy middle mile broadband facilities;
2. Engineering design, permitting and work related to environmental, historical and cultural reviews; 
3. Personnel costs, including salaries and fringe benefits for staff and consultants required for the implementation of the MMG Program (such as project managers, program directors, subject matter experts, grant administrators, financial analysts, accountants, and attorneys); 
4. Reasonable, post-NOFO, pre-application expenses in an amount not to exceed $50,000. Pre-application expenses, which include expenses related to preparing an application, may be reimbursed if they are incurred after the publication date of this NOFO and prior to the date of issuance of the grant award from NTIA, except that lobbying costs and contingency fees are not reimbursable from grant funds. These costs should be clearly identified in the proposed project budget and must be approved by NTIA and the Grants Officer in writing to be considered allowable. Additionally, preapplication costs are incurred at the sole risk of the applicant and will not be reimbursed by NTIA if the proposed project does not receive an award pursuant to this program; and 
5. Other costs necessary to carrying out programmatic activities of an award, not to include ineligible costs described below in Section IV.I.2 of the Middle Mile NOFO.