Bill > A136

Introduced Session

This bill establishes the "Rural Broadband Infrastructure Grant Program" (grant program) within the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (authority) for the purpose of providing grants to qualified applicants for the expansion and improvement of broadband telecommunications infrastructure and the provision of broadband telecommunications service in rural areas of the State. The bill requires the authority, in conjunction with the Board of Public Utilities (board) to establish and administer the grant program. In order to qualify for the grant program, a qualified applicant is required to submit certain information to the authority and demonstrate to the authority that certain criteria is met. As defined by the bill, "qualified applicant" means a corporation, limited liability company, partnership, business entity, non-profit organization, political subdivision, or any other entity in the State that is authorized to construct or repair broadband telecommunications infrastructure or provide broadband telecommunications service within the State. Under the grant program, the authority may approve applications for the grant program on a rolling basis, subject to the availability of funds. However, the authority would be required to prioritize applications that address unserved areas. As defined by the bill, "unserved area" means an area in which customers are without broadband service at speeds of at least 25 megabits per second download and 3 megabits per second upload. Upon approval of an application, the authority would provide a grant, in the amount determined by the authority, to the qualified applicant to support the expansion and improvement of broadband telecommunications infrastructure and the provision of broadband telecommunications service in rural areas of the State. The grants provided under the grant program would be made to a qualified applicant in an amount not to exceed $75,000 per project, provided the qualified applicant would be required to contribute private capital, in an amount not less than 25 percent of the value of the grant, to finance the proposed project. To the extent permitted under federal law, a qualified applicant may use any monies received from the federal "American Rescue Plan Act of 2021," to support the required contribution of private capital. Specifically, the bill requires these grants to be utilized for the acquisition, construction, equipment, and site-preparation costs associated with the deployment of broadband telecommunications infrastructure, as well as any other purpose related to the provision of broadband telecommunications service in rural areas of the State. The bill requires the authority to prepare and submit a report on the "Rural Broadband Infrastructure Grant Program" to the Governor and the Legislature within 12 months of the approval of the program's first qualified applicant and to make the report available on the authority's Internet website. The report would be required to include the number of qualified applicants that applied for the grant program, the number and names of the qualified applicants approved for the grant program, the total number of grants distributed, the amount received per qualified applicant, and any other information the authority determines necessary to evaluate the progress of the grant program. The bill also requires the authority to establish and maintain a non-lapsing revolving fund, which would be known as the "Rural Broadband Infrastructure Grant Fund." The revolving fund would serve as the repository of all monies used to support the grant program. Finally, the bill appropriates $2.5 million in federal funds to the authority for deposit into the "Rural Broadband Infrastructure Grant Fund." Specifically, this appropriation would be supported by certain federal monies provided to the State pursuant to the federal "Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act."

AI Summary

Committee Categories

Don Guardian (R)*,  Michael Inganamort (R), 

Introduced, Referred to Assembly Telecommunications and Utilities Committee (on 01/09/2024)

Official Document