I Date: April, 2023 I Full PDF can be downloaded here

What’s New!

USDA Community Connect Program

The Community Connect Program is designed to provide financial assistance to provide service at the Broadband Grant Speed (100/20) in rural, economically- challenged communities, where broadband service (25/3) does not currently exist.

Funds can be used to deploy service and to build and/or equip community centers to provide access to service for 2 years

What is the timeline?

Applications opened 3/20 and close 6/20. Awards are anticipated in September 2023

What are the funding limits?

·       Broadband Project Range: $100k - $5M - This is a reimbursement program.

·       Project Cost Matching - 7 CFR 1739.14 - Required 15% match, must be cash.

·       Requirement of audited (or unaudited) financial statements from the prior 2 years.

·       Applications require a 5-year forecast of annual financial projections (including existing operations)

Who/What are eligible applicants and projects?

7 CFR 1739.10 - Incorporated organizations, tribes, states, local governments, legal entities.

·       Evaluation criteria 7 CFR 1739.16.

·       Grants are awarded on a competitive basis based on scoring.

·       Eligible PFSAs must have less than 25/3 service.

·       Required deployed Grant speeds of 100/20.

·       Up to 10% of the grant funds can go to the required community center of 2-10 computers.

What are some key details and next steps?

·       Annual Project Performance Reports through project completion, then Final Report.

·       Annual Performance reports for 3 years.

·       Must provide an annual audit consistent with program guidelines

·       Applications must be submitted through the SAM portal, which will require a UEI.

About Us

Who we are

ECC Technologies was incorporated in 1995 to provide technology and communications consulting services to Educational, Community, and Corporate (ECC) clients. This was at the time when the nation’s telecom- communications industry was changing drastically through deregulation.

For the past 20 years, ECC has provided technology and security consulting services to education, municipalities, government, and corporate clients.

ECC continues our mission to assist clients with the expansion of broadband and the implementation of technology and security solutions in communities to improve economic development, public safety, education, and health- care services.

Success Stories - CNYRPDB - Broadband Assessment

Central New York Regional Planning and Development Board

The Central New York region encompasses 3,700 square miles across a 5-county region surrounding the Syracuse NY, metro area. The Central New York Regional Planning and Development Board (CNYRPDB) provides planning and development services to the region.

 The CNYRPDB awarded via competitive bid, a contract for broadband assessment services to ECC in 2019.  The scope of services for this contract included a regionwide inventory of broadband infrastructure, an interactive survey of residents and businesses, and an assessment of issues and potential solutions to resolve infrastructure as well as adoption issues facing the region.

ECC provided an interactive GIS-based inventory of all infrastructure identified in the region.  In addition, CNYRPDB information on issues related to adoption and availability is based on direct input from 6,000+ respondents.

These questions pointed to issues related to the availability of broadband at their location, costs, speed, reliability as well as impacts on education, healthcare, and business. 

 This information was overlaid into the GIS database along with the inventory results to identify availability and adoption issues at the address level.  Regional reports were developed with subsections broken down to address specific results and needs of each county. 

 ECC is currently working with CNYRPDB and each county to document and identify specific options needed to resolve broadband issues in each county.