Notice of Funding Availability #003 (Expired)

NOTE: The application window is now closed.

Purpose

In 2020, Governor Reynolds authorized the allocation and expenditure of $50,000,000 from the CARES Act Coronavirus Relief Fund (“CARES Act Funds”) to address the increased need for internet connectivity due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Communication Service Providers who install broadband infrastructure in this state or facilitate broadband service in this state were eligible to receive funds under this Notice of Funding Availability #003. Refer to Exhibit A - Notice of Funding Opportunity (#003) for more information (see Documentation Below). 

NOTE: This opportunity did not include any state funds.

Program Design

Under this NOFA, the State of Iowa sought Proposals from Responsible Applicants to provide or incentivize expansion and adoption of a minimum of consistent and reliable 25/3 Broadband or 100/20 Broadband, as applicable, to unserved Broadband Units or Non-Adopters located in the State of Iowa in a manner that provided the best value to or was to the greatest benefit of the State by providing the greatest overall impact in furthering telework, telehealth, distance learning, and other remote services in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic. Provided there is a demonstrable nexus to the COVID-19 pandemic, including a nexus to furthering telework, telehealth, distance learning, and other remote services, Applicant’s proposals could accomplish this in one of two of the following ways, or through a combination of both or either of the following (See Exhibit A - Notice of Funding Availability #003 for additional information regarding eligibility criteria and program requirements for speed thresholds):

1. By reducing or eliminating unserved Broadband Units in the State through the installation of Broadband Infrastructure that Facilitates Broadband service at or above 25/3 Broadband or 100/20 Broadband, as applicable (“Infrastructure Project(s)”).
2. By providing broadband service subscription discounts to Non-Adopters to reduce barriers to adoption and encourage subscription to 25/3 Broadband or faster (“Adoption Projects”).

Documentation

Information concerning the grant application process, including all application materials, agreements, and program information are provided below. All Applications to this NOFA were required to be submitted electronically through the Iowa Grants System, as part of Funding Opportunity #365549  - Empower Rural Iowa Emergency Broadband Expansion Program (NOFA #003).

• NOFA #003 - Notice of Intent To Award (NOIA) 
• NOFA #003 - NOIA Amendment #1
• Addendum #2 to NOFA #003 - Broadband Grants Program - Scoring Rubric
• Addendum #1 to NOFA #003 - Broadband Grants Program
• Exhibit A - Notice of Funding Availability
• Broadband Grants Core Application, including:
  • Exhibit B - Broadband Grants Program Infrastructure Worksheet
  • Exhibit B.1 - Broadband Grants Program Adoption Worksheet
  • Exhibit C - Broadband Grants Program Qualitative Attributes Form - Infrastructure Projects Only
  • Exhibit C.1 - Broadband Grants Program Qualitative Attributes Form - Adoption Projects Only
  • Exhibit D - Broadband Grants Program Budget Plan
• Exhibit E - Broadband Grants Program Grant Agreement, Including Federal Funding Provisions
• Exhibit F - Certification And Authorization to Release Information
• Exhibit G - Request for Confidentiality - Form 22
• Exhibit H - Application Checklist
• Exhibit I - Iowa Grants Registration Instructions
• Exhibit J - Iowa Grants Application Instruction Guidance 
• Exhibit K - Broadband Block Selection and Export/Import Instructions 
• Exhibit L - Prior Funding Statement
• NOFA #003 Grants Management Policies and Procedures Guide

Schedule of Important Dates

The timeline for Notice of Funding Availability #003 is set forth below including steps and dates of each of the major element of the program.

Applications Received

NOTE: To see the list of applications that were awarded grant funds download Notice of Intent To Award (NOIA) for NOFA #003.

The information below includes all applications received by the Office under this NOFA including those that did not receive grant awards. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any application withdrawn from consideration prior to the NOIA issuance is not published here. Final project areas as represented in executed grant agreements will be depicted on a map of NOFA #003 project areas. This map is currently in development and will be released at a later time. That map will represent the final and official project areas associated with each executed grant agreement.

68 applications were deemed submitted in response to NOFA #003 including applications associated with Infrastructure Project, Adoption Project, or Both. The type of Application is noted in the table below. The public, redacted versions of each application are provided below. In the Application Download column, click the link labeled "zip" next to each application to download a zip file containing the public version of that application. The "Final Disposition" column in the table below indicates the final status of the award. If an applicant executed a grant agreement with Office pursuant to the NOIA, this column will be marked as "Accepted." If an applicant did not execute a grant agreement with the Office pursuant to the NOIA, this column will be marked as "Withdrawn."

Review Committee Summary

In accordance with Iowa Code Chapter 8B.11(3), the Office is required to publish the members of the review committee and a summary of the review committee's recommended results for state funded opportunities. To remain consistent with past practice, the link below provides a summary of review committee input for this federally-funded opportunity.

• Review Committee Summary

Map of Awarded Locations

A map of Project Areas associated with awarded applications under NOFA #003 is shown below.