Application Submission Scheduled for Mid-December Through Mid-January

The California Public Utilities Commission is scheduled to approve the California Advanced Services Fund Public Housing Broadband Grant Guidelines on December 18, which will create a new state grant opportunity to facilitate the installation of on-site broadband internet for public housing units. Up to $20 million will be available for grants and loans to finance projects to connect broadband networks to public housing, and an additional $5 million will be available to support adoption programs, which will provide devices and training to residents of public housing. Eligible applicants include public housing authorities and non-profit public housing owners.

The window to apply for the first round of grants is fast approaching: December 18 through mid-January. After that, applications will be accepted on a quarterly basis until they run out of funding or reach December 31, 2016, the deadline for awarding grants.

The CPUC will offer an approval process for grant requests up to $75,000 for broadband infrastructure/hardware applications and up to $50,000 for adoption program applications. The grants are intended to provide individual housing units with broadband service for free or a nominal fee of no more than $20 a month.