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: Research and Data Collection, Including Initial Identification of Unserved Locations and Underserved Locations Consistent with Rules, Regulations, and Processes Commission Has Established for Making Determinations in Broadband Data Maps; 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; Asset Mapping Across the Eligible Entity to Catalogue Broadband Adoption, Affordability, Equity, Access and Deployment Activities Occurring Within the Eligible Entity; the Development of a Preliminary Budget for Pre-Planning Activities; Conducting Surveys of Unserved, Underserved, and Underrepresented Communities to Better Understand Barriers to Adoption; Costs Associated with Meeting the Local Coordination Requirements in Section IV.C.1.C of This Nofo Including Capacity Building at the Local and Regional Levels or Contracted Support; Reasonable Post-Nofo, Pre-Award Expenses <$100,000 Relating to Preparation of Program Submissions or Adding Additional Capacity in Preparation for Bead Program; and Publications, Outreach, and Communications Support.expected Outcomes: The Outcomes of Guam's Proposed Project Are a Comprehensive Five-Year Action Plan Assessing Guam's Current Broadband Capacity, Mapping Areas of Need as Indicated by Unserved/Underserved Populations and Community Anchor Institutions, and Creating Benchmarks for Adopting Strategies, Goals, and Initial Measures to Successfully Connect All Guam Residents with Reliable Broadband Service. More Specific Outcomes Include Streamlining the Grants Operation and Enabling Other Government Line Agencies Readily Available to Assist; Simplify Hiring and Onboarding of Staff, Accomplish the Goals of Both Bead Planning Program and Digital Equity Planning Grants.intended Beneficiaries: The Intended Beneficiaries Are Unserved and Underserved Groups in the Government of Guam with a Focus on Rural and Unserved Populations.subrecipient Activities: The Recipient Does Not Intend to Intend to Subaward Funds.