Robbinsville – The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will invest billions of dollars in rural communities across the country to work toward delivering affordable, high-speed internet, safe roads and bridges, modern wastewater systems, clean drinking water, reliable and affordable electricity, and good paying jobs in every rural community.
Here is how the law could affect Graham County:
* Appalachian Regional Commission – The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law reauthorizes the Appalachian Regional Commission and provides $1 billion, doubling the commission’s annual funding over the next five years. This will deliver resources to support the economic success of the Appalachian region. The law also adds three new counties across North and South Carolina as eligible Appalachian Regional Commission counties and expands the commission’s ability to fund broadband projects. Additional funding is also provided for enhanced training and research. Learn more about the Commission’s plans to expand their capabilities and impact here through their new strategic plan, “Appalachia Envisioned: A New Era of Opportunity.”
* Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program – This new $42.5 billion program at the Department of Commerce, which is administered by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, provides states and territories with funds to plan and implement projects that will deliver high speed internet to unserved and underserved areas, including rural areas. The program guidelines will be released in the second quarter of 2022 and will provide instructions to States and Territories on how to participate in the program and request funding. Project matching requirements (25 percent) can be waived in certain cases.
* ReConnect Program – The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides $1.9 billion to the ReConnect program at the Department of Agriculture which offers loans, grants, and other funds directly to states, territories, local governments, Tribes, cooperatives, non-profits, and certain for-profit entities to build infrastructure and install equipment to provide high-speed internet service in rural communities. Tribes, Alaska Native Corporations, and projects serving persistent poverty counties and socially vulnerable communities receive waivers for matching funds requirement. Priority is given to projects based, in part, on the rurality of a proposed area, economic need of the community, and existing limited service. Funds cover the cost of construction, improvement, or acquisition of facilities and equipment needed to provide broadband service capable of delivering 100/20 Mbps service. Applications will open in the third quarter of 2022. More than 35 percent of rural Americans and Tribal communities lack wired access to broadband at acceptable speeds. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law invests $65 billion to help make high-speed internet available to all Americans, to bring down high-speed internet prices across the board, to provide people with the tools they need to close the digital divide, and to provide technical assistance to rural and other communities seeking to expand broadband.
* Middle Mile Grants Program – This $1 billion-dollar program funds the construction, improvement, or acquisition of middle mile infrastructure to reduce the cost of connecting unserved and underserved areas to the internet backbone.
* Digital Equity Grants – Three, sequenced, digital equity grant programs will fund initiatives that promote digital inclusion and equity to ensure that all individuals and communities have the skills, technology, and capacity needed to reap the full benefits of our digital economy. The goal of these programs is to promote the meaningful adoption and use of broadband services across the targeted populations in the Act, including rural communities.
* Tribal Connectivity Broadband Program – An additional $2 billion in funds would go to tribal governments to be used for broadband deployment on tribal lands, as well as for telehealth, distance learning, broadband affordability, and digital inclusion. The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 initially established this program with $1 billion in grant funds.
* Affordable Connectivity Program – The Affordable Connectivity Program, administered by the Federal Communications Commission, provides eligible lower-income households with a discount of up to $30 per month (up to $75/month on Tribal lands) toward internet services – as well as a one-time discount of up to $100 to purchase a laptop, desktop, or tablet. Eligible households include those with household income at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level; those with at least one member eligible to participate in the National School Lunch Program, including through the USDA Community Eligibility Provision; and those with or at least one member that receives benefits through SNAP, WIC, SSI, Medicaid, and other federal assistance programs, are eligible for the benefit.
* Formula Grants for Rural Areas – The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law amends the Rural Area Formula Grant Program by establishing fixed percentages for the Public Transportation on Indian Reservations and the Appalachian Development Public Transportation Assistance programs. More than $875 million is available in FY22 for Formula Grants for Rural Areas under the law, a 30 percent increase over levels in the final year of the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act. This program provides capital, planning, and operating assistance to States to support public transportation in rural areas with populations of less than 50,000.. More information is available on the Federal Transit Administration’s website.
* Clean school bus program – State or local governments, eligible contractors, and nonprofit school transportation associations are authorized to receive grant funds from this new $5 billion program. Fifty percent of the funds are authorized for zero-emission school buses, and 50 percent of the funds are authorized for alternative fuels and zero-emission school buses. Funds may be prioritized for rural or low-income communities and entities that have matching funds available. The EPA Administrator is authorized to provide funds to cover up to 100 percent of the costs for the replacement of the bus.
* Appalachian Development Highway System – In January, the Department of Transportation announced $1.2 billion in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding over 5 years for the timely completion of Appalachian region. The system is a network of 33 distinct corridors (about 3,000 miles) linking the region to interstates and providing access to regional designated corridors in 11 states. It includes 13 states connecting New York to northern Mississippi. By 2040, 100 percent of the network is expected to be complete and open to traffic.
* Safe Streets and Roads for All – In Fiscal year 2022, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law invests $1 billion in the new and first of its kind Safe Streets and Roads for All program will fund local efforts to reduce roadway crashes and fatalities through grants for planning and projects – especially for people who walk and bike who are disproportionately impacted by crashes.