BGE Underground Fiber Project

Total Project Cost

Federal Funding Request

Primary State

Secondary State(s)

Counties/Islands Impacted

Purpose

The applicants Underground Fiber Project will facilitate high-speed broadband deployment to currently unserved or underserved areas, improve affordability in already-served markets, catalyze lower priced broadband for economically vulnerable communities, bolster national security interests, and facilitate the provision of broadband service to anchor institutions. The $30.8 million project, with the applicant providing a funding match, will be comprised of 69.9 route-miles of underground middle mile fiber communications infrastructure that will drive substantial end user benefits and encourage new last mile broadband providers to enter this market, including those offering low-priced internet access plans.

Awardee Documentation

Application Files

Pueblo Middle Mile Project 

Total Project Cost

Federal Funding Request

Primary State

Secondary State(s)

Counties/Islands Impacted

Purpose

The purpose of the Pueblo Middle Mile Project is to fund 78,129 feet of aerial & 29,173 feet of underground fiber to provide a protected ring from the Pueblo datacenter to 6 remote Colorado cabinets. This will lead to a last mile project that will connect 41,074 homes and small businesses. The double ring network created in this project will prevent single points of failure across the proposed broadband network.

Awardee Documentation

Application Files

Sapphire Ring

Total Project Cost

Federal Funding Request

Primary State

Secondary State(s)

Counties/Islands Impacted

Purpose

The project's purpose is to add 137 miles of new middle mile fiber in remote western Montana. Spread across six counties, covering more than 13,000 square miles, and impacting 42 communities, the project will enable affordable broadband to thousands of unserved and underserved locations. In addition, the project will create a fiber-ring totaling roughly 365 miles, delivering network reliability, resiliency, and positively impacting the broadband experience of thousands of Montanans. 

Awardee Documentation

Application Files

California Middle Mile Broadband Initiative - Spurs

Total Project Cost

Federal Funding Request

Primary State

Secondary State(s)

Counties/Islands Impacted

Butte, Calaveras, Contra Costa, El Dorado, Fresno, Kern, Kings, Mariposa, Merced, Nevada, Orange, Placer, San Bernardino, San Joaquín, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Stanislaus, Tulare, Tuolumne, and Yuba

Purpose

The purpose of the project is the construction of 410 miles of middle-mile fiber across 28 spurs that are part of the larger statewide middle-mile network, bringing it within 5 miles of 188,305 of unserved addresses and 7 Tribal entities, and within 1,000 feet of 634 anchor institutions.

Chicago Middle Mile Fiber for Disadvantaged Communities

Total Project Cost

Federal Funding Request

Primary State

Secondary State(s)

Counties/Islands Impacted

Purpose

The proposed project represents a 401-mile fiber deployment covering the south and west sides of Chicago, which includes the build of 30 strategic interconnection points for third-party access and construction of additional fiber capacity to be allocated for last-mile providers. ComEd will be bringing new available low-cost middle-mile infrastructure into 24 communities in need, representing over 440,000 households. To increase downstream affordability through the material reduction of broadband prices necessary for these neighborhoods, ComEd takes a flexible approach to its dark fiber pricing that accounts for the affordability needs of a neighborhood and the last mile providers’ operational requirements.

Concho Valley Rural Reach – Middle Mile Project

Total Project Cost

Federal Funding Request

Primary State

Secondary State(s)

Counties/Islands Impacted

Purpose

Concho Valley Electric Cooperative, Inc.’s (CVEC, Inc.) project to extend middle mile broadband infrastructure to underserved areas of Tom Green and Coke counties is intended to accommodate the population growth that continued in rural Texas. This population influx is increasing the demand for fast, reliable broadband connectivity across the state.   New and existing customers require more middle mile bandwidth to provide access to true broadband speeds as they rely on the internet to work from home, attend virtual classes, shop, participate in telehealth services, use next-gen 911 services, and in all the other ways a stable, fast internet connection has become a necessity to modern life. The existing middle-mile infrastructure is not meeting this demand in the area, providing substandard speeds, network congestion, and very little redundancy.

Cumberland and Salem County Middle Mile Broadband Infrastructure Project

Total Project Cost

Federal Funding Request

Primary State

Secondary State(s)

Counties/Islands Impacted

Purpose

This Middle Mile Infrastructure project will construct approximately 220 route miles of fiber, creating an interconnecting series of rings. Throughout the two-county NJ region, there are significant paths with underserved and unserved areas. The proposed network will promote equitable access to the Internet across these populations, while simultaneously providing access at an affordable cost by enabling smaller internet service providers (ISPs) to enter the market. The Project will enable ISPs to make their case for providing better service - both broadband internet service and customer service - to the difficult-to-service areas. 

Grafton County Middle Mile Now

Total Project Cost

Federal Funding Request

Primary State

Secondary State(s)

Counties/Islands Impacted

Purpose

The project will develop the 208.9-mile County of Grafton middle-mile backbone through population centers by building new fiber optic cable to close gaps and leveraging existing infrastructure to reduce the cost of buildout. The backbone will be available for municipalities to tap into and run additional fiber optic cable through their municipalities to reach the last mile.  The network will provide the electronics and optics necessary to provide service at identified municipal/County anchor locations and will allow for future growth and expansion with minimal additional equipment. The non-municipal/County locations will be served through dark fiber access only, allowing ISPs to make their own investments within individual communities.

Tri-State Fiber Deployment Project (TSFDP)

Total Project Cost

Federal Funding Request

Primary State

Secondary State(s)

Counties/Islands Impacted

Purpose

Dairyland Power Cooperative (DPC) will implement its Tri-State Fiber Deployment Project (TSFDP), which will retrofit 247 miles of fiber optic communications network using mostly optical ground wire (OPGW) on DPCs transmission lines in 3 years. Through the TSFDP, last mile providers in these regions will have enhanced capacity to reach unserved and unserved residents at affordable rates and help bridge the nations digital divide.

Dakota Carrier Network Statewide Middle Mile Backbone Upgrade

Total Project Cost

Federal Funding Request

Primary State

Secondary State(s)

Counties/Islands Impacted

Barnes, Benson, Billings, Burleigh, Cass, Eddy, Emmons, Foster, Golden Valley, Griggs, Kidder, LaMoure, Logan, McHenry, McIntosh, McKenzie, McLean, Morton, Mountrail, Pierce, Ramsey, Ransom, Renville, Richland, Sargent, Stark, Steele, Stutsman, Ward, Wells, and Williams

Purpose

The project is composed of two elements, added middle mile fiber route miles, and upgrading electronics to support the increased network de-mand.   

The first element, the incorporation of the new fiber route miles, will facilitate additional redundancy, resiliency, and survivability of the net-work.  In addition, the added fiber routes will reduce latency for anchor institutions providing critical network services.  The new route design for eastern North Dakota will be comprised of 4 additional network segments.  These segments will be Bismarck, ND to Carrington, ND, Jamestown, ND to Carrington, ND, Devils Lake, ND to Carrington, ND and Fargo, ND to Carrington ND.  This will create a fully meshed topol-ogy within the state.  The western portion will also benefit by adding an additional network segment between Alexander, ND and Max, ND.  The project will add a total of 612.99 leased fiber route miles to DCN’s mid-dle mile backbone infrastructure.  
Subrecipient BEK will be adding a total of 28.4 new construction fiber route miles to their middle mile backbone infrastructure. Subrecipient DCT will be adding a total of 233.2 new construction fiber route miles to their middle mile backbone infrastructure. A combined total of 874.59 fiber route miles will be added with the proposed project. 

The second element, upgrading electronics to support the increased net-work demand, will ensure the network has the capacity that is in demand from anchor institutions enabling them to serve critical services to the citizens of North Dakota.  

DANC/N Grid NNY Middle Mile Broadband Infrastructure Grant

Total Project Cost

Federal Funding Request

Primary State

Secondary State(s)

Counties/Islands Impacted

Purpose

The Development Authority of the North Country (DANC) and National Grid (NG) have proposed a public-private partnership project that extends middle-mile fiber optic infrastructure to bring broadband access to under- and un-served communities in upstate New York.  The project will bring broadband access to communities lacking such access, and also bolster the reliability and resilience for electricity service, increase the reach of emergency and health services, increase grid cybersecurity, and improve connectivity for U.S. defense assets. 

Awardee Documentation

Application Files

West and Northwest Georgia Middle Mile Broadband Backbone

Total Project Cost

Federal Funding Request

Primary State

Secondary State(s)

Counties/Islands Impacted

Purpose

The purpose of this project is to provide West and Northwest Georgia with critical middle mile broadband access by building a 185-mile fiber route that passes through eight counties between Chattanooga, Tennessee; Bremen, Georgia; and Atlanta, Georgia. The West and Northwest Georgia areas associated with the proposed route and service footprint currently have no known commercially available dark fiber service offerings. The proposed fiber network will significantly reduce future backhaul transport costs associated with bringing broadband from the main peering hubs and locations to the rural end users and provide over 140 interconnection splicing points for access.

ENMR NTIA 2022 Middle Mile Grant

Total Project Cost

Federal Funding Request

Primary State

Secondary State(s)

Counties/Islands Impacted

Bernalillo, Chaves, Colfax, Curry, De Baca, Doña Ana, Eddy, Guadalupe, Lea, Lincoln, Mora, Quay, Roosevelt, San Miguel, Sandoval, Santa Fe, Sierra, Socorro, Torrance, Union, and Valencia in New Mexico. Bailey, Cochran, Culberson, El Paso, Hale, Hudspeth, Lubbock, Oldham, Potter, Randall, Reeves, Swisher, Ward, and Winkler in Texas

Purpose

The purpose of the project is to enhance ENMR Telephone Cooperative's existing network's infrastructure by creating alternate paths and increasing resiliency and bandwidth with upgrades and new fiber routes. It includes the construction of five new fiber segments, one of which completes a fiber ring linking Kermit, Texas to Jal, New Mexico in the southern edge of the middle mile network. The other four new fiber segments will create alternative diverse paths connecting Santa Fe and Albuquerque, New Mexico. The applicant's existing wholesale customers will immediately benefit from the expanded capacity and increased reliability.  The applicant's objectives for the proposed project include assurance that last mile providers have access to affordable middle mile transport to the internet.

Project URGENT

Total Project Cost

Federal Funding Request

Primary State

Secondary State(s)

Counties/Islands Impacted

Purpose

Hawaiian Telcom, Inc is proposing to build an economically and environmentally sustainable, open access middle mile infrastructure that will benefit unserved and underserved communities and improve the resiliency of existing broadband services in the state of Hawaii. Project URGENT consists of 15 new terrestrial and undersea routes and over 600 kilometers of fiber.  The digital divide is particularly prevalent in Hawaii communities that are unserved or underserved especially on islands like Maui, Molokai, Kauai, and Hawaii island, rural Oahu communities - Waianae, Nanakuli, North Shore, and Hawaiian Home Lands, which are "tribal" lands set aside for homesteads for native Hawaiians having at least 50% Hawaiian blood. These areas are particularly vulnerable, and Hawaii is ranked amongst the worst states in the nation in terrestrial broadband coverage (54%) and amongst the slowest average download speeds.  Project URGENT also addresses climate-related risks such as coastal flooding and erosion and the impact from natural disasters such as volcanic eruptions and fires, tsunamis, and hurricanes.

Appalachian Ohio Middle Mile Expansion

Total Project Cost

Federal Funding Request

Primary State

Secondary State(s)

Counties/Islands Impacted

Purpose

The Appalachian Ohio Middle Mile Expansion project focuses on key gaps in Appalachian Ohio's open middle mile infrastructure. Building upon NTIA's previous investments in the Ohio Middle Mile Consortium (OMMC), the applicant's design reaches two counties currently lacking any open middle mile, establishes new POPs in three counties, and densifies the existing network in six additional counties. The design closes multiple rings, increases reliability and resiliency for the entire service area, and creates additional interconnection points among the original OMMC members. The proposed 239 miles of new fiber (primarily aerial) (minimum of 288 strands) will pass within 1,000 feet of 16,257 households, 525 Community Anchor Institutions, and 2,114 businesses. The project will provide dark fiber and lit capacity to ISPs, local telcos, and community institutions (schools, healthcare facilities, local government facilities) over the 239 new miles as well as over 711 existing miles of fiber. As a community benefit, the applicant intends to provide Indefeasible Rights to Use (IRUs) on the network to the K-12 Information Technology Centers (ITCs) serving school districts in the region (OME-RESA and META Solutions), the Southern Ohio Health Care Network (a high-speed fiber network that serves over 350+ health care facilities in 40 Ohio counties), and OARnet (the state's academic fiber network).

Awardee Documentation

Application Files

Middle Mile Grant Program

Total Project Cost

Federal Funding Request

Primary State

Secondary State(s)

Counties/Islands Impacted

Allen, Anderson, Bourbon, Butler, Cherokee, Clark, Coffey, Crawford, Finney, Franklin, Greenwood, Haskell, Jackson, Johnson, Kingman, Labette, Linn, Lyon, Meade, Miami, Montgomery, Neosho, Osage, Pratt, Sedgwick, Seward, Wilson, Wyandotte

Purpose

The State of Kansas Departments of Commerce (the applicant) and Transportation (KDOT) (project partner) are working together with private and non-profit partners to create a 682-mile open-access middle-mile fiber optic and network, with plans to connect multiple new internet exchange points throughout the State. The purpose of the project is to connect to multiple new internet points throughout the State and offer dark fiber for last-mile service providers that have the capabilities to light the fiber and need the scalability associated with dark fiber access. The proposed route will provide lit service access to support smaller ISPs as well as other providers with smaller project scopes that prefer lit services to deploying their own fiber or electronics. This will enable last mile providers with a range of objectives to connect to this network and access end users.

The proposed network will support the needs of last-mile service providers, increase capabilities for anchor institutions, enable connections to unserved and underserved households, and increase competition in local markets, thereby creating more affordable service options. 

Strengthening of the Telecommunications Core Infrastructure of LCPR  

Total Project Cost

Federal Funding Request

Primary State

Secondary State(s)

Counties/Islands Impacted

Purpose

The purpose of this project is to fund 63 miles of new middle mile infrastructure in geographies where the applicant has been awarded Uniendo a Puerto Rico Fund ('Uniendo') from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for last-mile services. The network being funded is the same network covered by Uniendo, but the Middle Mile Grant Program funds will go towards middle mile network costs that Uniendo funding is not sufficient to cover.  

Awardee Documentation

Application Files

High-speed Economies for Rural Opportunity (HERO): NC Broadband Project

Total Project Cost

Federal Funding Request

Primary State

Secondary State(s)

Counties/Islands Impacted

Purpose

The High-speed Economies for Rural Opportunity (HERO) project will enable affordable, high-performance broadband in substantially unserved areas of North Carolina (NC) and provide significantly improved network reliability, resiliency, and latency.   Last mile service providers can leverage the proposed 209 mile fiber route through 11 counties by building laterals to both residential and commercial customers, as well as to their own aggregation facilities, from hand holes placed 2,500 feet or less apart along the proposed route. In addition, three new telecommunications huts will facilitate lighting the proposed fiber routes and provide network connectivity services with increased reliability and resiliency, as well as physical co-location services to customers.

MBC Middle Mile Construction Project

Total Project Cost

Federal Funding Request

Primary State

Secondary State(s)

Counties/Islands Impacted

Cumberland, Dinwiddie, Goochland, Greensville, Louisa, Lunenburg, Mecklenburg, Nottoway, Powhatan, Prince Edward, Prince George, Sussex, and City of Petersburg

Purpose

The applicant plans to construct approximately 130 miles of new fiber to enable open-access middle mile connectivity and enhance grant funds for local ISPs and existing carriers. This aims to increase their speed to the market and provide route diversity for their last-mile broadband service to residential and business customers. It will enable technology-driven businesses to provide high-paying jobs in the existing industrial and business parks in the region. The applicant expects to build eight (8) open-access middle mile fiber segments to provide critical broadband connectivity and diversity for economic development purposes to thirteen localities in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Awardee Documentation

Application Files

Iowa Middle Mile Fiber Project

Total Project Cost

Federal Funding Request

Primary State

Secondary State(s)

Counties/Islands Impacted

Crawford, Fremont, Harrison, Mills, Page, Pottawattamie, Shelby, Cherokee, Ida, Monona, Plymouth, Sac, Sioux, Calhoun, Humboldt, Pocahontas, Polk, Wapello, Warren, Carroll, Jasper, Madison, Adams, Harrison, Montgomery, Cass, Marshall, Buena Vista, Tama, Kossuth, Woodbury, and Marion

Purpose

According to the applicant the project proposes a cost-effective approach of utilizing existing and planned communication networks to provide connectivity for ISPs to deliver broadband to end users in need. The project offers an opportunity to leverage the applicant’s energy infrastructure management network to provide a high quality, cost-effective middle mile fiber routes. In addition to building new routes to connect its remaining infrastructure and making that fiber available for middle mile broadband, the applicant will be offering unused capacity on its existing fiber network (24 strands) as new open access middle mile. Six segments comprising 775 miles of new build will provide 72 fiber strands for dark fiber leasing. Opening 1,365 miles of applicant-owned fiber to public access will provide 24 strands to facilitate last mile connections. The design also supports efficient connections to unserved and underserved anchor institutions. The resulting network will enable fiber connections that can provide 1 Gbps symmetrical across a wide area of Iowa.

Missouri Network Alliance dba Bluebird Network MO to OK NTIA MMGP

Total Project Cost

Federal Funding Request

Primary State

Secondary State(s)

Counties/Islands Impacted

Purpose

This project will extend middle mile infrastructure to unserved and underserved areas and promote broadband connection resiliency through the creation of alternative network connection paths. It will expand from Missouri into the state of Oklahoma and will increase redundancy and resiliency as well as increasing competition in this rural area.  This project it will also reduce costs and spur the more rapid deployment of last mile services in rural areas. In particular, these routes have the potential to grow and strengthen fixed wireless and cellular connectivity, including advancements in new wireless technologies which are not supported by other means than fiber. 

Missouri Network Alliance dba Bluebird Network Missouri NTIA MMGP

Total Project Cost

Federal Funding Request

Primary State

Secondary State(s)

Counties/Islands Impacted

Barton, Callaway, Camden, Christian, Cole, Crawford, Dallas, Franklin, Gasconade, Greene, Jasper, Laclede, Lawrence, Maries, Newton, Osage, Phelps, Polk, Pulaski, Washington, and Webster 

Purpose

The Missouri Network Alliance (dba Bluebird Network) project is predominately located within unserved and underserved areas in Missouri and is comprised 325 miles of fiber along the following routes: Jefferson City to Washington; Springfield to Carthage; Rolla to Strafford; and Washington to Rolla. These routes have the potential to grow and strengthen fixed wireless and cellular connectivity across the 21 counties connected by the project, including advancements in new wireless technologies which require fiber connectivity. These routes will also support a new initiative to bring fiber connectivity to farms enabling next generation farm devices.

Omaha Tribe of Nebraska Fiber-Based Middle Mile Grant

Total Project Cost

Federal Funding Request

Primary State

Secondary State(s)

Counties/Islands Impacted

Purpose

The Omaha Tribe of Nebraska and its 100% Tribally owned subsidiary Quick Current LLC have proposed a project to deploy a fiber-based middle mile network to cover currently unserved and underserved Tribal and adjacent rural areas in eastern Nebraska and western Iowa with a specific focus on providing Middle Mile infrastructure and services to the tribal and surrounding areas of The Omaha Tribe of Nebraska and Iowa. The network will consist of 384 route miles of new fiber, 100 route miles of IRU dark fibers and 34 miles of upgraded fiber.

Awardee Documentation

Application Files

Infrastructure for Michigan Peninsulas and Critical Crossings (IMPACC)

Total Project Cost

Federal Funding Request

Primary State

Secondary State(s)

Counties/Islands Impacted

Purpose

The Infrastructure for Michigan's Peninsulas and Critical Crossings (IMPACC) includes two routes crossing Michigan's lakes, and unserved counties and towns to bring middle mile infrastructure into rural counties serving over 35,000 homes in need of broadband internet connectivity. Placing approximately 535 route miles of new middle mile fiber connecting the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to the lower with a redundant path to create connectivity options for western Michigan to peering points in Chicago.  Improving connectivity and redundancy for unserved and underserved areas of the UP and western Michigan. Route #1: The undersea fiber connection across Lake Michigan to Chicago from Benton Harbor and St. Joseph, MI., creates a shorter, redundant, and more reliable middle mile route to Chicago. Extending through un/underserved areas of southwest rural Michigan to an Inter-Exchange Carrier (IXC) facility in Byron Center, MI. Route #2 begins in Gulliver in the Upper Peninsula, travels undersea and makes landfall at Beaver Island then continues undersea to Charlevoix, MI. After landfall in Charlevoix, the route continues south and east through sections of unserved towns to reach an IXC point in Gaylord.

Activities to be performed: The project will place 535 route miles of new middle mile fiber that will integrate into existing networks to provide middle mile access and ultimately serve end users throughout the state of Michigan.  The project will use fiber to build new middle mile network through unserved and underserved communities with a commitment to open access and carrier neutral non-discriminatory interconnect. The period of performance is expected to be 5 years.

Pima County Regional Middle Mile Fiber Optic Ring 

Total Project Cost

Federal Funding Request

Primary State

Secondary State(s)

Counties/Islands Impacted

Purpose

The purpose of the Pima County Regional Middle Mile Fiber Optic Ring is to ensure that affordable, reliable and accessible high-speed broadband services can be provided to as many communities, county and local facilities, anchor institutions and recreational areas as possible. The proposed project creates a 134-mile contiguous open access fiber network ring. The infrastructure will be made available to all viable internet service providers (ISPs) and other government entities to lease, share or swap resources. This future proof design has the capacity to accommodate expansive growth in the region. The network is designed in a ring surrounding the outer area of greater Tucson, Arizona and surrounding rural communities.  The proposed middle mile network path connects to 4 Central Office (CO) facilities. These four Tier 1 connections provide a link to the backbone of the public internet with physical interconnections for the exchange of traffic. The proposed middle mile infrastructure will reduce the cost for last mile providers to connect unserved and underserved communities by providing a neutral network that last mile providers can access in a non-discriminatory open access model. 

Nome to Homer Express Route

Total Project Cost

Federal Funding Request

Primary State

Secondary State(s)

Counties/Islands Impacted

Purpose

The QSH Nome to Homer Express Route, serves dual purposes: 1. It extends the existing network, and completes a ring, connecting previously constructed network Fairbanks to Nome, via Prudhoe Bay, Point Hope, to this project's route from Nome to Homer, and leased facility from Homer to Fairbanks, resulting in a redundant survivable ring connection to various cable systems toward the lower 48; and  2. it provides connectivity along the newly constructed route at Emmonak, Naknek, King Salmon, Igiugig, and Homer.  55% of the project area is measured as unserved.  The households below 150% of poverty level (excluding Fairbanks, Kenai Penisula reached by leased network) is 24%. Connecting these communities with a fiber network will enable last mile providers to offer unrestricted connectivity to end users, enabling distance learning, telehealth options and economic development in traditionally remote and isolated areas. 

Awardee Documentation

Application Files

MOOSE (Maine Online Optical Statewide Enabling) Network

Total Project Cost

Federal Funding Request

Primary State

Secondary State(s)

Counties/Islands Impacted

Purpose

The Maine Connectivity Authority (MCA) and its partners propose to design, build, and operate the MOOSE (Maine Online Optical Statewide Enabling) Network, a new, east-west 531 middle mile fiber optic route that will anchor the State's strategic goal of providing universal broadband access. MOOSE Net will provide a publicly owned backbone, enabling expansion and diversification of internet services otherwise deemed not economically viable by existing market conditions. 

Central Appalachian Broadband

Total Project Cost

Federal Funding Request

Primary State

Secondary State(s)

Counties/Islands Impacted

The counties addressed include Claiborne, Grainger, Hancock, Hawkins, Sullivan and Union in Tennessee; and Dickenson, Lee, Russell, Scott, Washington, Buchanan, and Wise in Virginia

Purpose

Built over four years, the proposed route will be 155 miles of new fiber cable that significantly improves the existing Scott County Telephone Cooperative (SCTC) network architecture by creating 4 new rings, closes several unprotected laterals, spans across unserved areas, and interconnects (via a network-to-network interface NNI) with East Kentucky Networks (EKN).

Awardee Documentation

Application Files

Eastern Nevada Middle Mile

Total Project Cost

Federal Funding Request

Primary State

Secondary State(s)

Counties/Islands Impacted

Purpose

The proposed Eastern Nevada Middle Mile fiber network, a 431-mile open-access middle-mile fiber optic network running north to south along US 93, is intended to improve regional network redundancy and resiliency for networks that serve last-mile residential areas, the government and anchor institutions by completing a statewide fiber ring.  Operated on a non-discriminatory basis, the network will support interconnections with any provider seeking access to deliver last-mile broadband services.  

West Idaho – Canyon, Owyhee and Ada County

Total Project Cost

Federal Funding Request

Primary State

Secondary State(s)

Counties/Islands Impacted

Purpose

Syringa Networks LLC is proposing a 76-mile fiber backbone middle mile route in rural Southwestern Idaho. The route crosses three Idaho counties and connects eight cities to their existing network. The project will facilitate an increase in available bandwidth for end users because the majority of the project area has little to no fiber-based middle mile infrastructure in place today. The project will be the first purpose built, dedicated fiber middle mile route to interconnect each of the communities on the route. 

Connect Alabama

Total Project Cost

Federal Funding Request

Primary State

Secondary State(s)

Counties/Islands Impacted

Autauga, Baldwin, Barbour, Bullock, Chambers, Chilton, Choctaw, Clarke, Conecuh, Coosa, Covington, Dallas, Elmore, Escambia, Greene, Hale, Henry, Houston, Lee, Macon, Marengo, Monroe, Montgomery, Perry, Shelby, Tallapoosa, Washington, and Wilcox

Purpose

The applicant proposes to build and operate the Connect Alabama Network for 677.1 route miles: 411.5 route miles for access to unserved area, 29.8 route miles for access to underserved areas, and 235.8 route miles for connectivity to four Internet peering points. The entire proposed route will be buried fiber in conduit of at least 144 count fiber.  The applicant's Connect Alabama network aligns well with NTIA's Middle Mile Program's priorities: providing symmetrical 1 Gig services to anchor institutions within 1000 feet of the route while also offering fiscally sustainable middle mile, non-discriminatory interconnection to last mile broadband providers, documented interest from 2 last mile providers, and benefiting national security interests for fiber broadband connectivity along the route.  The Connect Alabama network affords redundancy (preventing a single point of failure), high reliability, and high-speed broadband throughout the 26 unserved/underserved Alabama counties it traverses and enables open access to last mile providers, electrical cooperatives, military facilities, and the Poarch Band of Creek Indians tribal headquarters along its path. The network proposes to support wholesale and retail broadband services throughout the life of the project. 

Visionary Communications - Oriva Hills and Wright Middle Mile

Total Project Cost

Federal Funding Request

Primary State

Secondary State(s)

Counties/Islands Impacted

Purpose

The 11.5 mile project will bring critical fiber backhaul to the main tower site feeding Oriva Hills, substantially increasing the capacity available which addresses the primary limitation of broadband availability and will be available for all last-mile providers to utilize. The fiber build will be augmented with the addition of two new tower sites, upgraded microwave backhauls, high-capacity microwave links, and fiber backhaul to facilitate 100/20 Mbps fixed wireless service at nearly every unserved residence in Oriva Hills. The Wright Point of Presence will connect the community to Visionary Communications existing middle-mile fiber infrastructure.

WANRack-mm-FL2

Total Project Cost

Federal Funding Request

Primary State

Secondary State(s)

Counties/Islands Impacted

Purpose

WANRack is proposing to build 44.8 miles of open access middle mile infrastructure from north of Lakeland, FL going through Pasco and Zephyrhills/Dade City and then continuing north on Route 98 into Hernando County. This route was proposed because of the consistent need for additional connectivity options along the entire route, while improving affordability for these communities.

Point Roberts Middle Mile Infrastructure Project

Total Project Cost

Federal Funding Request

Primary State

Secondary State(s)

Counties/Islands Impacted

Purpose

The Point Roberts Middle Mile Infrastructure project award will provide funding for the construction, improvement, and acquisition of middle mile infrastructure for the underserved community of Point Roberts, Washington, and surrounding areas. The project includes 47.6 miles of new terrestrial underground fiber and 63.1 miles of undersea fiber. The applicants proposed Middle Mile project will significantly impact the communities of Point Roberts, the tribal people of the Lummi Nation, and the Naval Air Station Whidbey Island. The proposed infrastructure routes will also address the local demand for high speed and reliable internet for households, businesses, and community anchor institutions of Whatcom County, Washington.

Zayo Oregon – NorCal – Nevada Middle Mile

Total Project Cost

Federal Funding Request

Primary State

Secondary State(s)

Counties/Islands Impacted

Purpose

The purpose of the Oregon, NorCal, Nevada middle mile project is to provide a middle mile fiber network (645 miles) that will serve rural areas that currently have inadequate broadband services. The project includes twenty-three (23) access points to provide ready access to the applicant's local ISP partners. The network has been designed to include access points to serve underserved and unserved areas in all three states. In addition to the fiber route, the applicant is also partnering with another service provider to construct middle mile infrastructure in the form of 180-foot towers that can host up to 4 last mile wireless ISPs that will provide fixed and mobile 5G wireless broadband. The cell tower infrastructure enables fixed wireless broadband as well as expanding mobile 5G broadband.

Zayo El Paso to Dallas Middle Mile

Total Project Cost

Federal Funding Request

Primary State

Secondary State(s)

Counties/Islands Impacted

Purpose

The purpose of this project proposal is to construct a new, 644-mile underground middle mile fiber route that would serve some of the most rural areas in Western Texas, stretching from Dallas to El Paso. It will facilitate broadband service to several unserved and underserved areas. The network has been designed to include access points that can serve 236 community anchor institutions. Additionally, a partner will construct nine 180-foot-tall towers along the proposed route. Each tower can host up to 4 wireless Internet Services Providers (ISPs) that can provide both mobile and fixed 5G wireless broadband service. Throughout the route, and through its local ISP partners and digital equity consultancies, the applicant plans to promote digital equity efforts to enable communities to harness their new broadband capabilities.

Zayo Dallas to Atlanta Middle Mile

Total Project Cost

Federal Funding Request

Primary State

Secondary State(s)

Counties/Islands Impacted

Kaufman, Upshur, Smith, Van Zandt, Wood, Dallas, Harrison, and Gregg in TX. Bossier, Webster, Jackson, Cadde, Lincoln, Richland, Beinville, Ouaschita, Claiborne, and Madison parishes in LA. Rankin, Newton, Scott, Warren, Lauderdale, and Hines in MS.  Shelby, St. Clair, Cieburne, Jefferson, Tuscaloosa, Calhoun, Talledge, Bibb, Hale, and Greene in AL. Cobb, Paulding, Douglas, Fulton, Haralson, and Carroll in GA.

Purpose

The purpose is to create new access points along the applicants 822-mile, five-state, underground existing middle mile fiber route, providing a highly resilient alternative to the aerial fiber used currently, which is subject to outages, to provide better service to unserved and underserved areas. The applicant identified 209 community anchor institutions that are located within 1 mile of the fiber route that could have access to the network. A portion of the funding will allow the project partner to construct 180-foot towers that will provide non-discriminatory access to up to four wireless ISPs to provide mobile and fixed broadband service within a 5-mile radius of each tower.