NTIA, the President's chief communications policy advisor, has released a searchable database of federal broadband grant, loan and other programs that provide resources for federal funding and permitting information.
That is one of the goals established in the February American Broadband Initiative, a partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the White House Offices of American Innovation, Management and Budget, Science and Technology Policy, and the National Economic Council.
The database includes broadband funding programs from FCC and USDA programs for "state and local governments, schools, libraries, small businesses and other community institutions that are interested in expanding broadband access."
Folks looking for funding can search by "agency, program purpose and eligible recipients."
“Consolidating these critical resources into a one-stop, easy-to-use resource provides an important tool in spurring efforts to expand our nation’s broadband infrastructure projects,” said Diane Rinaldo, acting assistant secretary for Communications and Information.
In January 2018, President Trump issued a Presidential Memorandum “Supporting Broadband Tower Facilities in Rural America on Federal Properties Managed by the Department of the Interior." The president said that Americans "need access to reliable, affordable broadband internet service to succeed in today’s information-driven, global economy."
Broadband internet access is a vital concern, the President said in a speech to a farm group at the time. He said he would expand broadband access to rural America through two presidential orders he was signing to provide better, faster broadband access.
