This article suggests eight steps the National Telecommunications and Information Administration should take to make the broadband provisions in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act a success. Those steps include helping states ramp up their broadband offices, hiring personnel skilled in federal broadband grants, and improving coordination between the agencies that support broadband deployment.

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The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act offers enhancements to the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program so that it can better aid in the delivery of broadband to some of the areas with the worst connectivity in the country. Some of these enhancements include time extensions for grantees, more flexibility, and an extra $2 billion in funding.

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This article describes the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program, a federal funding opportunity introduced in June 2021. The program seeks to provide grants to expand broadband access and provide digital inclusion programs in Tribal communities. The article explains the program’s eligible applicants, projects, and costs.

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The National Telecommunications and Information Administration plans to create a program that makes grants to eligible entities for the construction, improvement, or acquisition of middle-mile broadband infrastructure. The Middle Mile Grants Program seeks to encourage the expansion of middle-mile infrastructure and to promote network resiliency.

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