Middle Mile (Broadband) Grant Program
Active
- Assistance listing
- 11.033
- Agency
-
National Telecommunications and Information Administration
Department of Commerce
- Grant awards
- 42 $939,404,683 in federal obligations
Program facts
- Also known as
- Middle Mile Grant Program
- Assistance type
-
- Project Grant
- Treasury account
-
- 13-0564-0-1-452
- More information
Program details come from SAM.gov Assistance Listings. Updated . Grant award figures come from USAspending.gov.
About this program
The Department of Commerce National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) funds construction, improvement, and acquisition of middle mile broadband fiber infrastructure to reduce connectivity costs in unserved and underserved areas, under CFDA 11.033. The program has disbursed 42 Project Grants totaling $939.4 million in federal dollars across a combined federal and non-federal envelope of $1.77 billion; the most recent award was in August 2025.
Program activity has contracted sharply: 39 awards were made in 2023 but only 3 in 2025, reflecting a compressed funding cycle following the initial rollout. All awards to date have been Project Grants. The portfolio spans fiber backbone deployment, dark fiber access, lit services, and carrier-neutral interconnection points enabling last-mile providers to serve residential, commercial, and anchor-institution customers at competitive rates. Representative recent awards include a $54 million Missouri project deploying 325 miles of fiber across 21 counties to support fixed wireless and cellular backhaul; a $87 million Michigan project placing 535 miles of new fiber including undersea crossings to connect the Upper and Lower Peninsulas; and a $150.8 million Alaska subsea and terrestrial fiber project extending service from Nome to Homer through previously isolated communities. Earlier awards funded backbone networks in Hawaii ($87.5 million), Texas ($91.9 million), California ($187.6 million), and a multi-state Iowa project leveraging utility rights-of-way for 775 miles of new fiber plus 1,365 miles of existing fiber opened to public access.
Eligible applicants include states, political subdivisions, tribal governments, technology companies, electric utilities, utility cooperatives, public utility districts, telecommunications companies, nonprofit institutions, regional planning councils, economic development authorities, and partnerships thereof. The most recent public NOFO (NTIA-MMG-2022) posted May 13, 2022 with a September 30, 2022 deadline; no open solicitation is currently indicated in the source. Buildout periods typically span two to five years, with recipients eligible to request extensions of up to one year upon certification of project progress or extenuating circumstances.
Objective and description
- Objective
The Middle Mile (Broadband) Grant Program provides funding for the construction, improvement, or acquisition of middle mile infrastructure. The purpose of the grant program is to expand and extend middle mile infrastructure to reduce the cost of conn
- Description
The Middle Mile (Broadband) Grant Program provides funding for the construction, improvement, or acquisition of middle mile infrastructure. The purpose of the grant program is to expand and extend middle mile infrastructure to reduce the cost of connecting areas that are unserved or underserved to the internet backbone.
Eligibility
- Applicant eligibility
In order to apply for a middle mile grant, an entity must be a State, political subdivision of a State, Tribal government, technology company, electric utility, utility cooperative, public utility district, telecommunications company, telecommunications cooperative, nonprofit foundation, nonprofit corporation, nonprofit institution, nonprofit association, regional planning council, Native entity, economic development authority, or any partnership of two or more of these entities.
- Uses of assistance
Please refer to the Notice of Funding Opportunity.
- Use restrictions
Please refer to the Notice of Funding Opportunity.
- Length and time phasing of assistance
Please refer to the Notice of Funding Opportunity once posted on Grants.Gov.
How to apply
- Preapplication coordination
Please refer to the Notice of Funding Opportunity once posted on Grants.Gov.
- Criteria for selecting proposals
Please refer to the Notice of Funding Opportunity.
- Award procedure
Please refer to the Notice of Funding Opportunity.
- Time to approval or disapproval
Please refer to the Notice of Funding Opportunity.
- Renewals
An eligible entity may submit a request for an extension, which must include the justification for such an extension and all relevant circumstances. At the request of an eligible entity, the Assistant Secretary may extend the buildout deadline by not more than one (1) year if the eligible entity certifies that: (i) the eligible entity has a plan for use of the grant funds; (ii) the project to build out middle mile infrastructure is underway; or (iii) extenuating circumstances require an extension of time to allow completion of the project to build out middle mile infrastructure. Requests for extensions will be granted at the sole discretion of the Assistant Secretary.
Grant opportunities
| Opportunity | Status | Posted | Applications due |
|---|---|---|---|
| Middle Mile Grant Program | Closed |
Grant awards
Latest 10 of 42 listed here. See the rest on GovTribe.
Top recipients by federal obligations
| Rank | Recipient | Federal obligations | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zayo Group LLC | $130,938,991 | 14% |
| 2 | QSH Parent Holdco LLC | $88,896,496 | 9% |
| 3 | California Department Of Technology | $73,000,000 | 8% |
| 4 | Peninsula Fiber Network LLC | $61,256,704 | 7% |
| 5 | Enmr Telephone Cooperative | $49,858,624 | 5% |
| 6 | State Of Nevada | $43,547,460 | 5% |
| 7 | State Of Kansas Department Of Commerce | $42,514,220 | 5% |
| 8 | Mid American Energy Company | $37,839,312 | 4% |
| 9 | Hawaiian Telcom, Inc. | $37,356,956 | 4% |
| 10 | Omaha Tribe Of Ne | $36,374,796 | 4% |
10 of 37 recipients listed here. See the rest on GovTribe.
Federal obligations by fiscal year
| Fiscal year | Federal obligations |
|---|---|
| FY2026 | -$41,912,895 |
| FY2025 | $15,971,974 |
| FY2024 | -$14,652,420 |
| FY2023 | $979,998,022 |
Quick answers
What is Assistance Listing 11.033?
Assistance Listing 11.033 is Middle Mile (Broadband) Grant Program, a federal grant program run by National Telecommunications and Information Administration (Department of Commerce).
What is the CFDA number for Middle Mile (Broadband) Grant Program?
Its CFDA number is 11.033: Assistance Listing numbers were called CFDA numbers before 2018.
How much funding has Assistance Listing 11.033 awarded?
42 grant awards under 11.033 have obligated $939,404,683 in federal funds to 37 recipients.
Who receives the most funding from 11.033?
The recipients obligated the most under Middle Mile (Broadband) Grant Program are Zayo Group LLC ($130,938,991), QSH Parent Holdco LLC ($88,896,496) and California Department Of Technology ($73,000,000).
How much did 11.033 obligate in fiscal year 2025?
Grants under 11.033 obligated $15,971,974 in federal funds in fiscal year 2025.
Are there open grant opportunities under 11.033?
No opportunity listed under 11.033 is open now. The latest, Middle Mile Grant Program, was posted on May 13, 2022.
On GovTribe
See this program's full record
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