Broadband technology provides some of the fastest internet connections available today. An overview of the options available and key terms is helpful for communities who want to expand access. The links below provide a high-level look at Broadband.
BEAD NOFO Summary
Quick overviews of the BEAD NOFO are provided at the links below.
Local Tribal Coordination
Definition: Local, regional, and tribal collaboration is required to ensure that applicants have properly engaged Kansans to determine their communities’ needs.
Scoring: Applications that demonstrate meaningful community engagement and local planning, as described below, will receive seven points. Two points will be awarded if letters of support are the only evidence provided, and zero points if no documentation is provided.
Community Engagement
Prospective subgrantees must demonstrate extensive community engagement and local planning. Understanding the infrastructure and service needs in the Project Funding Areas requires network planning, design, and the voice of the residents. Applications must include evidence of locally held meetings with residents and businesses from the Project Funding Areas where they are applying. This evidence must consist of meeting minutes, attendee lists, and discussion items like those contained in the NTIA Local Coordination Tracker. Furthermore, locally held discussions on permitting, rights of way, pole attachments, or other easement needs are preferred. Lastly, KOBD expects applicants to share their rate plans, low-cost service plans, terms and conditions, service commitments, and billing formats to each Project Funding Area.
Letter of Support
Applications with letters of support from local leaders (e.g., county commissioners, Tribal leaders, board of supervisors, city councils, unified school district boards, local businesses, or residents), but cannot demonstrate local planning as described above, may receive two points, depending on the number and quality of each formally authorized letter. Local and tribal governments may provide letters of support for one or more applicants for the same Project Funding Area.
Broadband Ready Communities Program
The Broadband Ready Communities Program was created as a tool to encourage broadband development by serving as an information resource and certifying communities as being broadband ready. Access information on KOBD’s Broadband Ready Communities Program in the link below.
Provider Information
There is a great upcoming opportunity for communities to forge partnerships with the Internet Service Providers who will be closing the digital divide in their regions. Providers will be calling on you to join them in locally held meetings to learn your needs. They will ask for your support in the form of written letters and in simplifying the permitting process. They will also be sharing their expansion plans and information on their service offerings. The links below provide a list of Internet Service Providers in Kansas and NTIA’s sample Local Coordination Tracker that Providers may be submitting as evidence of having met with communities.
Permitting Information
Easement Education
Easements can pose a significant risk to broadband expansion. It is important to understand the role easements play in Providers’ efforts to close the digital divide. The link below provides further reading on the rules surrounding easements.
Broadband Roles and Goals
Economic Development District Directory – US Economic Development Administration
State Broadband Map
The Kansas Office of Broadband Development has worked to create an image of the current state of broadband in Kansas. The map below shows those locations that are currently deemed eligible for BEAD funding and those that are currently deemed ineligible for BEAD funding. It also shows the Unified School Districts, which KOBD is currently using to determine Project Funding Areas. Through the State grant portal, Providers will submit their intent to service Project Funding Areas.
Jade Piros de Carvalho
Director
Kansas Office of Broadband Development
Neighbors and friends,
As we navigate an increasingly digital world, it is evident that reliable broadband access and digital skills are necessary for us all to fully engage in society. The Kansas Office of Broadband Development has been allocated $451.7 million in federal funds to close the digital divide in Kansas. We need your help to ensure these funds are used to best serve the needs of your community. As your State Broadband Director, I am writing to ask for your active participation in broadband planning activities. A collective effort is critical as we make funding decisions.
Community engagement makes up nearly 10% of grant application scoring. Now is your chance to have your voice heard. Together, we can build a digital future that ensures no one in your community is left behind. If you have any questions or need assistance, please feel free to reach out. Thank you for your dedication to advancing broadband access in your community.
The Broadband Equity Access and Deployment 5–Year Action Plan along with Volume 1 and Volume 2 will have identified served, unserved, and underserved locations across the state. The 5-Year Action Plan addresses the “what” KOBD will be doing and Volume 1 and Volume 2 address the “how” it will happen and how KOBD will address the digital divide.
Our broadband objectives are as follows:
“My administration is committed to ensuring every Kansan, regardless of their zip code, has access to fast and
Governor Laura Kelly
reliable internet connectivity, bringing additional economic growth, educational opportunities, and telehealth
services. This funding advances our progress toward being a top 10 state for broadband access by 2030.”
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