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ReConnect Round 3 and Round 4 FOA Update

Presented by: Brad Clausen

Telecommunications Program

Utah Broadband Advisory Council

July 13, 2022

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Rural Development’s (RD) Mission�

USDA Rural Development

Committed to helping improve the economy and quality of life in rural America.

Provide loans, grants, and loan guarantees that support essential services, such as:

Housing
Economic Development
Health Care
First Responder Services and Equipment
Water, Electric, and Telecommunications Infrastructure

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ReConnect Program

Available Funding	Program Updates
FY2019 $550 million available FY2020 $655 million available in FY2020 (includes CARES funding) FY2021 $635 million available FY2022 $2.3 billion received in appropriations $1.9 billion received in the Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act (IIJA) $436.6 million received in annual appropriations	FY2019 – “Round One” 146 Applications processed: $1.4 billion 76 active awards: $656 million/33 States impacted FY2020 – “Round Two” 172 Applications submitted: $1.57 billion requested 105 active awards: $852 million/37 States impacted FY2021 – “Round Two” cont.. 172 Applications submitted: $1.57 billion requested 181 active awards: $1.5 billion/38 States impacted FY2022 – “Round 3” 305 Applications submitted: $4.8 billion requested

https://www.usda.gov/reconnect

Funding Type	Rural Focus	Funding Thresholds	Matching Requirement	Broadband Service Speeds	How to Apply	When Applications are Accepted
Loan/Grants/Loan-Grant Combinations	Areas with populations ≤ 20K	≤$50 million for loans & loan-grant combinations ≤$25 for grants	For grant-only: 25% of requested grant amount*	Broadband Service: <100/20 Mbps Broadband Buildout Speed: ≥100/100 Mbps	Submit through the RUS online application system	Applications are not accepted at this time

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“Rural eConnectivity Program” regulation has been published. Highlights of the new regulation include:

Broadband speeds, funding limits, scoring criteria, and protected areas will be announced in Federal Register notices or Funding Opportunity Announcements when new application windows are opened
If awarded, grant funds may be used for eligible preapplication expenses in the first advance request

See 7 CFR 1740 published in the Federal Register on February 26, 2021 for the regulation text.

ReConnect Program�

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ReConnect Round 3

FOA released 10/25/21
90-day Application Window opened 11/24/21
Application Window closed to 03/09/22, 11:59 am EST
Application Summary

305 ReConnect FOA 3 Application Count
Initial Funding Requested $4,805,103,996

23 100% loan applications
40 50/50 loan/grant combo
134 100% grant
108 SVC/ Tribal

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ReConnect Round 3

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ReConnect Round 3

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ReConnect Round 3

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ReConnect Round 3

Round 3: Sharp Escalation in Funding Requests Over Funding Available
ReConnect Rounds 1, 2, 3 Comparison
	Applications	Requested Funding	# of Awards	$ Awarded	Request for Funds Over Funded Amount
		$ Billion		$ Million	Percent
Round 1	146	$ 1.4	76	$ 656	213%
Round 2	172	$ 1.57	105	$ 854	184%
Round 3	305	$ 4.8	tbd	$ 1,150	418%
Round 3 Review in Process, # Awards TBD				Rd3 Available Funding	Projected

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Round 4 FOA

Outreach

Preparing for ReConnect Round 4 Webinars held:

June 2, 2022
June 29, 2022

Open hours sessions (to be held weekly)
Webinars (Dates to be published)

USDA Rural Development (govdelivery.com)

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Rural Utilities Service Telecommunications Key Contacts

Laurel Leverrier, Assistant Administrator, Telecommunications

laurel.leverrier@usda.gov / 202.720.9556

Assistant Administrator

Shawn Arner, Telecommunications Program

shawn.arner@usda.gov/ 202.720.9556

Peter Aimable, Portfolio Management & Risk Assessment Division

peter.aimable@usda.gov / 202.720.1025

Randall Millhiser, Loan Origination & Approval Division

randall.millhiser@usda.gov / 202.720.0800

Kenneth Kuchno, Policy & Outreach Division

kenneth.kuchno@usda.gov / 202.690.4673

Deputy Assistant Administrators

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General Field Representative Coverage - www.rd.usda.gov/contact-us/telecom-gfr

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Brad Clausen�CO/UT GFR�bradley.clausen@usda.gov�Office: 385.285.6498

Rural Development | Rural Utilities Service�Telecommunications Program

U.S. Department of Agriculture �1400 Independence Ave., S.W.

Washington, D.C. 20250�www.rd.usda.gov

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Questions?

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End Slide

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