Governor Kelly announced Thursday that more than 21,000 Kansas homes and businesses are set to receive high-speed internet access for the first time thanks to an $83.5 million grant program through the Office of Higher Development Kansas Department of Commerce debit.
The new grant program results from the US Treasury Department’s approval of the Kansas Capital Projects Fund (CPF) broadband infrastructure plan. The Federal CPF Program is a $10 billion initiative available to states, territories, and tribal governments under the American Rescue Plan Act to fund capital projects. One of the priorities of the program is to support the expansion of broadband to facilitate work, education and health care in areas that do not have access to 100/20 Mbps Internet speeds.
Those eligible to apply for the CPF Broadband Infrastructure Program include Internet service providers, political subdivisions, cooperatives, and non-profit organizations.
The grant application window will be open for four weeks starting July 18. A full list of program guidelines and the application will be posted on the Broadband Development Office website next week.
The Broadband Development Office will also host a webinar to review program guidelines on Thursday, July 21 at 12:30 p.m. CDT. Registration for the meeting can be found here. After registration, a confirmation email will be sent to you with information about joining the meeting.
Scholarships and winners will be announced in October and November.
