The National Telecommunications and Information Administration has received award proposals totaling more than $5 billion for its Enabling Middle Mile Broadband Infrastructure Program (opens in new tab). The problem is that it only has $1 billion to distribute, so the NTIA will have to, so to speak, cull the herd.

Additionally, the middle mile* application deadline for areas affected by Hurricane Ian has been extended.

*Middle mile refers to the infrastructure that links major broadband networks to local networks.

NTIA announced on Tuesday that it has received 245 funding requests totaling $5.5 billion for projects that “connect high-speed internet networks to each other and reduce the cost of bringing internet service to communities that lack it.“

NTIA chief Alan Davidson called middle mile plant the internet’s “connective tissue,” and NTIA’s program a “force multiplier” for that connectivity.

“The volume of applications we received demonstrates the high demand for increasing middle mile capacity throughout the country“

Alan Davidson

The application deadline was September 30, applications will be assessed on a rolling basis, and funding will begin no later than March 2023.

The NTIA has extended the application deadline for projects deploying in Puerto Rico, portions of Florida and South Carolina (all affected by Hurricane Ian), and portions of Alaska from September 30 to November 30.

Source: Next TV