The Missouri Broadband Grant Program was created in the Revised Statutes of Missouri sections 620.2450 to 620.2458 in 2018. The focus of this grant program is to provide state resources that help providers, communities, counties, and regions invest in building broadband infrastructure in unserved and underserved areas of the state.
The program is currently not accepting applications.
FY20 Broadband Grant Recipients
To view the recipients of the FY20 broadband grant program, click here.
Broadband Grant Challenge Process
Information relevant to the challenge process:
Broadband Grant FY20 Valid Challenges
Broadband Grant FY20 Applicants
Applicants eligible for grants awarded include:
- Corporations, or their affiliates, registered in this state;
- Incorporated businesses or partnerships in this state;
- Limited liability companies registered in this state;
- Nonprofit organizations registered in this state;
- Political subdivisions; and
- Rural electric cooperatives organized under chapter 394 of the Revised Statutes of Missouri and their broadband affiliates.
Eligible Areas
Grant funding can be used only to pay for costs associated with deployment of broadband to unserved and underserved areas as defined in section 620.2450.
- An unserved area is a project area without access to wireline or fixed wireless broadband internet service with speeds of at least 10 Megabits per second (Mbps) download and 1 Mbps upload.
- An underserved area is a project area that currently has a minimum of 10 Mbps download and 1 Mbps upload, but does not yet achieve 25 Mbps download and 3 Mbps upload (e.g. has speeds between 10/1 and 25/3 Mbps download/upload).
- Proposed service areas are required to be contiguous.
- The most recent available data from the FCC Form 477 will be used to determine existing available broadband service.
- If the applicant believes the available broadband service is overstated and seeks to apply, the applicant is required to provide additional information sufficient to demonstrate that the proposed service area is, in fact, unserved or underserved so as to be eligible for grant funding.
- Applications must include a map file (acceptable formats: .shp, .kml, or .kmz) of the proposed service area.
Eligible Expenses
Applicants can fund only the acquisition and installation of retail broadband internet service with baseline speeds of 25 Mbps download and 3 Mbps upload in the area proposed to be served. Examples of generally eligible project costs include:
- Construction of broadband facilities,
- Final engineering and construction plans,
- Permitting,
- Installation, and
- Validation of service.
Total government assistance and grant award can cover as much as, but may not exceed, 50% of eligible project expenses.
