A number of New York State broadband deployment and digital inclusion grant and procurement opportunities are, or will soon be, available. New opportunities will be listed here as they become available.
ConnectALL Grants
Affordable Housing Connectivity Program
The Affordable Housing Connectivity Program (AHCP) is providing owners of affordable housing with new or upgraded broadband infrastructure so that tenants can access high-quality home internet service at affordable monthly rates. By funding infrastructure upgrades to create open-access building wiring, the State is attracting Internet Service Providers to often-overlooked affordable housing properties.
ConnectALL is identifying Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to provide these broadband installations and is overseeing separate agreements between Internet Service Providers and affordable housing property owners to ensure quality and affordability standards are met at each property. Learn more about the Affordable Housing Connectivity Program.
If you are a building owner interested in receiving no-cost new or upgraded broadband equipment installations in each unit, use this link to complete the Broadband in Your Property survey.
ISPs and other entities with broadband deployment experience are encouraged to respond to the AHCP Request for Application (coming soon).
Coming Soon
Municipal Infrastructure Program
As part of the ConnectALL Initiative, Governor Hochul designated the ConnectALL Office to administer a Local Connectivity Planning and 21st Century Municipal Infrastructure Program providing grants to municipalities, non-profits, and other entities to construct open and accessible public broadband infrastructure. ConnectALL is implementing the Governor’s mandate as the Municipal Infrastructure Program (MIP). Through MIP, New York State will construct new fiber to the premises for thousands of properties statewide by providing funding to deploy last mile conduit and fiber and connections from those new last mile deployments to middle mile networks.
Municipal Infrastructure Program Guidelines
Pursuant to the New York State WIRED Act and the federal Digital Equity Act of 2021, ConnectALL will establish and implement programs, including grant programs, in furtherance of improving digital equity, digital inclusion, and digital literacy. Broadband infrastructure constructed via or included in MIP will be owned by a public entity or publicly controlled with stipulations on its use that will ensure long-term adherence to ConnectALL standards. The new broadband infrastructure will be made available to Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and Managed Service Providers (MSPs) capable of providing New Yorkers with high-quality and affordable service options. MIP will facilitate coordination of planning and operation of infrastructure networks owned by statewide, regional, and local Public Entities, Municipal Utilities, Utility Cooperatives; and ISPs, MSPs, and Broadband Infrastructure Owners. The MIP Guidelines articulate the proposed governing standards that ConnectALL will implement to run MIP.
Regional and Local Assistance Program
ConnectALL will provide funding through the Regional and Local Assistance Program (RLAP) to assist local governments, counties, municipalities, Tribal Governments, and other government entities or entities created by units of government to plan or prepare for broadband deployment or other digital equity initiatives. RLAP is a critical complement to the other programs of ConnectALL, including the Affordable Housing Connectivity Program, the Municipal Infrastructure Program, the Digital Equity Program, and the ConnectALL Deployment and Rural Broadband Program. To maximize their effectiveness, these programs require effective planning and partnership on the regional and local level across the state. RLAP will support building local capacity to implement these programs.
Regional and Local Assistance Program Guidelines
ConnectALL is designated as the administrator of RLAP as the duly authorized representative to determine program structure and requirements, evaluate applicant information, monitor grantees for project completion and satisfactory performance, collect grantee data to ensure compliance with all program requirements and verify allowable uses of funds, and approve disbursement of grant funds to selected grantees. ConnectALL may provide technical assistance to the applicants during the application and/or the application curing process, at its discretion. Empire State Development will execute a Grant Disbursement Agreement (GDA) with each Grantee that will describe the planned use of funds, the timeline, the geographic area of focus, and the intended impact on digital equity and a robust broadband marketplace in the area.
State Digital Equity (DE) Planning Grant
As part of the ConnectALL Initiative, the ConnectALL Office has been designated as the administering entity for the State Digital Equity (DE) Planning Grant. ConnectALL was established to ensure digital access and adoption for all populations within New York State. New York State’s DE program will integrate and elevate the expertise and guidance of local, regional, and statewide stakeholders alongside rigorous data analysis.
State Digital Equity (DE) Planning Grant Program Guidelines
Pursuant to the New York State WIRED Act and the federal Digital Equity Act of 2021, ConnectALL will establish and implement programs, including grant programs, in furtherance of improving digital equity, digital inclusion, and digital literacy. The State DE Program will include activities aimed at achieving digital equity, supporting digital inclusion, and building capacity of community anchor and other institutions to reduce barriers to internet access, promote digital literacy, and enhance broadband adoption by residents across the state. The ConnectALL Office will be the administrator of any program established in furtherance of these objectives. As such, it, or its duly authorized representative, will determine program structure and requirements, evaluate Applicant information, monitor Grantees for project completion and satisfactory performance, collect Grantee data to ensure compliance with all program requirements and verify allowable uses of funds, and approve disbursement of grant funds to selected Grantees. The State’s DE plan will contain the statutory requirements set forth under grant guidelines by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). Upon completion of a draft plan, ConnectALL will hold a public comment period for review and feedback. The final plan will be submitted to NTIA and distributed to the public through coalition networks and the ConnectALL website. The State DE Program Guidelines articulate the proposed governing standards that ConnectALL will implement to run the Digital Equity Program.