Together, America Prospers

Broadband Technical Assistance (BTA)

What does BTA 

do?

In addition to supporting 

broadband technical assistance 

and training activities, BTA 

funding helps develop and 

expand broadband cooperatives.

The types of activities BTA 

funding supports include 

project planning and community 

engagement, financial 

sustainability, environmental 

compliance, construction 

planning and engineering, 

accessing federal resources, and 

data collection and reporting.

Who can apply?

• Federally recognized Tribes and 

Tribal entities

• State or local governments, including 

agencies and subdivisions, among 

others

• Territories or possessions of the 

United States

• Institutions of higher education 

(including 1862 Land-Grant 

Institutions, 1890 Land-Grant 

Institutions, 1994 Land-Grant 

Institutions, Hispanic-Serving 

Institutions, and Historically Black 

Colleges and Universities)

• Nonprofit organizations with 501(c)

(3) IRS status

• Cooperatives or mutual 

organizations

• Corporations

• Limited Liability Companies or 

Limited Liability Partnerships

What is an eligible area?

For a project to be eligible to receive 

BTA funds, it must promote broadband 

expansion in a rural community.

What is a rural area?

• For the purposes of BTA, a rural 

area is defined as “any area 

not located in a city, town, or 

incorporated area with a population 

greater than 20,000, or an urbanized 

area next to a city or town with a 

population greater than 50,000 

people.” Certain other exclusions 

apply.

• Eligible areas must be contained 

within a rural area or composed of 

multiple rural areas. You will find a 

mapping tool with additional eligibility 

information at this link: https://tinyurl.

com/mje7ssr8.

How do we apply?

Applications must be submitted 

electronically through https://www.

grants.gov.

How can funds be used?

Funds can be used to promote 

broadband expansion in eligible 

rural areas and include activities 

such as project planning and 

community engagement, operations, 

financial sustainability, environmental 

compliance, construction and 

engineering planning, accessing 

federal resources, and data collection 

and reporting.

Examples of eligible projects include:

• Helping recipients identify broadband 

resources and planning for delivering 

broadband service

• Identifying public and private 

resources to finance broadband 

facilities

• Preparing studies, reports, and 

surveys necessary to support 

broadband services, or to request 

financial assistance to develop 

broadband facilities

• Improving broadband facilities 

management and operations
Broadband Technical Assistance

How much funding is available?

Under the current funding opportunity, 

$20 million is available: 

• $7.5 million is for Technical 

Assistance Providers. The minimum 

award amount is $50,000 and the 

maximum award amount is $1 

million.

• $7.5 million is for Technical 

Assistance Recipients. The minimum 

award amount is $50,000 and 

the maximum award amount is 

$250,000.

• $5 million is for projects that support 

cooperatives. The minimum award 

amount is $50,000 and the maximum 

award amount is $1 million.

Where can we get help with our 

application?

USDA RD will host several webinars 

during the application window. 

Webinar dates and times and 

additional resources can be found 

at: https://tinyurl.com/2p95jduf. 

You also can contact one of our 

Telecommunications General Field 

Representatives (GFR – a list is 

available at this link: https://go.usa.

gov/xtpfj.) Or, you can submit your 

questions directly to the BTA staff by 

completing the form available at this 

link: https://tinyurl.com/ysr6kann.

Can a non-Tribal entity receive 

funding to serve Tribal Lands?

A Tribal Government Resolution of 

Consent must be provided if a nontribal applicant is proposing to assist a 

tribal community (or communities). Any 

applicant that fails to provide the Tribal 

Government Resolution of Consent will 

not be considered for funding.

How do we know if our project will 

serve targeted communities?

You can view targeted communities 

on our mapping tool located at https://

tinyurl.com/2p95jduf. A Geographic 

Information System (GIS) layer of the 

areas noted below are considered 

targeted communities for this funding 

opportunity announcement.

• Tribes and Tribal entities

• Colonia areas

• Persistent poverty counties

• Distressed energy communities

How does BTA funding work?

BTA is funded through a cooperative 

agreement and requires substantial 

involvement from the awarding 

agency. Proposed BTA projects 

must support the active participation 

and involvement of USDA Rural 

Development staff.

Are matching funds required?

BTA does not have a cost share or 

matching requirement.

What governs BTA?

The Rural eConnectivity Program 

is associated with USDA Rural 

Development’s ReConnect Program 

(information is available at this link: 

https://go.usa.gov/xzW4Y). The 

current BTA funding opportunity 

uses technical assistance funds 

appropriated under the Infrastructure 

Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA – Public 

Law 117-58 – available at this link: 

https://tinyurl.com/5b2akk4t).

For more information:

For more information, please visit 

the BTA website at: https://tinyurl.

com/2p95jduf or use the Contact Us 

link available at https://tinyurl.com/

ysr6kann.

NOTE: Because information changes, always consult official BTA instructions or 

contact your local General Field Representative for help. A list is available at this 

link: https://go.usa.gov/xtpfj. You can also use the Contact Us link available at https://

tinyurl.com/ysr6kann.

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

Last Updated April 2023