Rural eConnectivity Pilot Program

Award funds may be used to pay for the following costs:

(i) To fund the construction or improvement of facilities, including buildings and land, required to provide broadband service, including facilities required for providing other services over the same facilities, such as equipment required to comply with CALEA;
(ii) To fund reasonable preapplication expenses in an amount not to exceed five percent of the award. Preapplication expenses may be reimbursed only if they are incurred after the publication date of this FOA, and properly documented. Preapplication expenses must be included in the first request for award funds, and will be funded with either grant or loan funds. If the funding category applied for has a grant component, then grant funds will be used for this purpose; (iii) To fund the acquisition of an existing system that does not currently provide sufficient access to broadband for upgrading that system to meet the requirements of this FOA. The cost of the acquisition is limited to 40 percent of the amount requested. Acquisitions can only be considered in the 100 percent loan category; and (iv) To fund terrestrial-based facilities for satellite broadband service, provided the applicant clearly identifies the PFSA, demonstrates the ability to provide 25 Mbps downstream and 3 Mbps upstream simultaneously to every premises in the PFSA, and offers subscribers reasonable service plans that do not cap bandwidth usage.