Low-Power Television and Translator Upgrade Program

The Department of Commerce National Telecommunications and Information Administration administers the Low-Power Television and Translator Upgrade Program (CFDA 11.559), which reimbursed eligible low-power television station licensees for digital-upgrade equipment in rural communities. The program distributed its most recent grant awards on September 1, 2012, making it inactive for the past 14 years.

The program funded equipment purchases for analog-to-digital conversion at eligible low-power television stations serving rural areas. Recipients included county governments, television districts, private broadcasters, public broadcasting entities, and nonprofit television organizations across the western and southern United States.

Between 2009 and 2012, the program awarded 253 Project Grants totaling $15.6 million in federal obligations. Award volume accelerated sharply over the program's active window, from 40 awards in 2009 to 101 awards in 2012. The Department of Commerce NTIA was the sole funding agency across all 253 awards. Nearly all assistance took the form of Project Grants, with one Cooperative Agreement representing negligible activity.

Typical awards ranged from $5,000 to $100,000, with notable outliers including $440,624 to Emery County, $321,819 to Carbon County, and $321,020 to San Juan County. Smaller awards of $20,000 were common across rural districts and nonprofit operators. Representative recent awards included $93,070 to Oregon Public Broadcasting (September 1, 2012), $80,000 to Rural Oregon Wireless Television (September 1, 2012), and $160,000 to Selective TV, Inc. (July 1, 2012).

No grant opportunities are currently open under this program. The last solicitation activity concluded in 2012. Do not pursue this program unless seeking to understand its historical distribution patterns or supporting analysis of closed rural broadcast infrastructure initiatives.