Project Grant 2940MM242

PURPOSE: THE MISSOURI NETWORK ALLIANCE (DBA BLUEBIRD NETWORK) PROJECT IS PREDOMINATELY LOCATED WITHIN UNSERVED AND UNDERSERVED AREAS IN MISSOURI AND ARE COMPRISED OF: 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 BLUEBIRD INITIATIVE TO BRING FIBER CONNECTIVITY TO FARMS ENABLING NEXT GENERATION FARM DEVICES. ACTIVITIES TO BE PERFORMED: THE MISSOURI NETWORK ALLIANCE (DBA BLUEBIRD NETWORK) PROJECT IS COMPRISED OF 325 MILES OF NEW FIBER ACROSS FOUR DISTINCT ROUTES, TWO OF WHICH WILL BE NEW ROUTES AND TWO ROUTES DEDICATED TO PROVIDING REDUNDANT AND RESILIENT CONNECTIONS. THE PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE IS EXPECTED TO BE 5 YEARS. EXPECTED OUTCOME: BY CONSTRUCTING THE NEW FIBER ROUTES, BLUEBIRD EXPECTS TO ACHIEVE THE FOLLOWING OUTCOMES: 1. CONSTRUCT ROUTES THAT CONNECT UNSERVED AND UNDERSERVED AREAS OF THE STATE AND ENABLE LAST MILE PROVIDERS TO ACCESS NEW MIDDLE MILE INFRASTRUCTURE AND IMPROVE AND EXPAND THEIR NETWORKS TO CONNECT HOUSEHOLDS. 2. IDENTIFY OPPORTUNITIES FOR ANCHOR AND ENTERPRISE CUSTOMERS WITHIN THIS MARKET TO ACCESS 1 GBPS PLUS BANDWIDTH. 3. SUPPORT HIGH SPEED CONNECTIONS TO FARMS TO PROMOTE AG-TECH CAPABILITIES. 4. ENABLE THE CONVERSION OF CELLULAR TOWERS FROM MICROWAVE TECHNOLOGY TO FIBER OPTICS, GROWING NOT ONLY WIRELINE BUT WIRELESS/CELLULAR ACCESS TO THE RURAL CITIZENS OF MISSOURI. INTENDED BENEFICIARIES: THE PROJECT IS COMPRISED OF FOUR MIDDLE MILE FIBER ROUTES THAT TRAVERSE 21 COUNTIES IN MISSOURI. THE PROPOSED SERVICE AREA INCLUDES 12 COMMUNITIES CATEGORIZED AS UNSERVED AND 26 COMMUNITIES AS UNDERSERVED AS DERIVED FROM THE JUNE 2021 FCC FORM 477 DATA. THE PROJECT WILL ENABLE LAST MILE CONNECTIONS TO 15,261 UNSERVED AND 124,740 UNDERSERVED LOCATIONS IN THE COMMUNITIES NOTED ABOVE. ADDITIONALLY, BENEFICIARIES ALSO INCLUDE ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED GROUPS WITH THE AVERAGE MEDIAN INCOME OF THE IMPACTED COUNTIES APPROXIMATELY 12% BELOW THE STATE AVERAGE AND THE AVERAGE POVERTY RATE IN THE IMPACTED COUNTIES APPROXIMATELY 10% HIGHER THAN THE STATE AVERAGE. OTHER BENEFICIARIES INCLUDE 37 WIRELINE PROVIDERS, 16 WIRELESS PROVIDERS, WHO WILL HAVE ACCESS TO MIDDLE MILE RESOURCES THAT WILL GREATLY ENHANCE THEIR ABILITY TO DELIVER HIGH SPEED BROADBAND TO END USERS. THE PROJECT WILL ALSO FACILITATE CONNECTIVITY TO 73 COMMUNITY ANCHOR INSTITUTIONS ARE WITHIN 1,000 FEET OF THE PROPOSED NETWORK (7 HIGHER EDUCATION, 26 SCHOOLS, 9 LIBRARIES, 4 COMMUNITY CENTERS, AND 27 HEALTHCARE FACILITIES) AND ARE LOCATED WITHIN UNSERVED AND UNDERSERVED AREAS. SUBRECIPIENT ACTIVITIES: THERE WILL NOT BE ANY SUBRECIPIENT ACTIVITIES ON THIS PROJECT.