Closing the Broadband Availability Gap and Support the Development of a Five-Year Action Plan

Description

Purpose: The Purpose of This Grant Is to Support Closing the Broadband Availability Gap and Support the Development of a Five-Year Action Plan.the Proposed Project Includes the Following Planning and Pre-Deployment Activities: The Development of a Preliminary Budget for Pre-Planning Activities; Publications, Outreach, and Communications Support; Providing Technical Assistance to Potential Subgrantees, Including Through Workshops and Events; Training for Employees of Broadband Program or Office of Eligible Entity or Employees or Political Subdivisions of Eligible Entity, and Related Staffing Capacity or Consulting or Contracted Support to Effectuate Goals of Bead Program; Establishing, Operating, or Increasing Capacity of a Broadband Office That Oversees Broadband Programs and Broadband Deployment in an Eligible Entity; Conducting Surveys of Unserved, Underserved, and Underrepresented Communities to Better Understand Barriers to Adoption.expected Outcomes: The Outcomes of Connecticut's Proposed Project, "Ctbead," Are a Five-Year Action Plan That Will Identify the Creation of a Five-Year Action Plan Identifying Connecticut's Broadband Access, Affordability, Equity, and Adoption Needs and Serving as a Benchmark for Adopting Strategies, Goals, and Measures for Connecting All Connecticut Residents with Reliable and Resilient Broadband Service. Connecticut Will Work to Close the Digital Divide as Is Necessary for Civic and Cultural Participation, Employment, Lifelong Learning, and Access to Essential Services. More Specific Outcomes Are Advancing the Objectives of the Bead Program, Including Deploying Affordable Broadband Service to Unserved and Underserved Locations with a Preference for End-To-End Fiber Supported by a Meaningful Stakeholder Engagement Plan; Better Gauging of Activity Progress and Measuring Activity Completion; Ensuring the Needs of All Unserved/Underserved Locations Are Accounted for, Increasing Initial Adoption Rates Once Broadband Is Deployed in an Area, and Stimulating Awareness About the Programs That Can Support the Local Community; Better Informed, Prepared Staff and Stakeholders to Contribute to a More Collaborative and Cohesive Five-Year Action Plan; Greater Capacity to Administer and Support Program Activities; and a More Holistic Representation of Residents' Issues.intended Beneficiaries: The Intended Beneficiaries Are Unserved and Underserved Groups in the State of Connecticut with a Focus on Rural and Unserved Populations.subrecipient Activities: The Recipient Does Intend to Subaward Funds to Not Yet Identified Subgrantees.