Digital Equity Competitive Grant Program

Source Credit

(a) Establishment
(1) In general
Not later than 30 days after the date on which the Assistant Secretary begins awarding grants under section 1723(d) of this title, and not before that date, the Assistant Secretary shall establish in the Department of Commerce the Digital Equity Competitive Grant Program (referred to in this section as the "Program"), the purpose of which is to award grants to support efforts to achieve digital equity, promote digital inclusion activities, and spur greater adoption of broadband among covered populations.
(2) Consultation; no conflict
In establishing the Program under paragraph (1), the Assistant Secretary—
(A) may consult a State with respect to—
(i) the identification of groups described in subparagraphs (A) through (H) of section 1721(8) of this title located in that State; and
(ii) the allocation of grant funds within that State for projects in or affecting the State; and
(B) shall—
(i) consult with—
(I) the Secretary of Agriculture;
(II) the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development;
(III) the Secretary of Education;
(IV) the Secretary of Labor;
(V) the Secretary of Health and Human Services;
(VI) the Secretary of Veterans Affairs;
(VII) the Secretary of the Interior;
(VIII) the Federal Communications Commission;
(IX) the Federal Trade Commission;
(X) the Director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services;
(XI) the Administrator of the Small Business Administration;
(XII) the Federal Co-Chair of the Appalachian Regional Commission; and
(XIII) the head of any other agency that the Assistant Secretary determines to be appropriate; and
(ii) ensure that the Program complements and enhances, and does not conflict with, other Federal broadband initiatives and programs.
(b) Eligibility
The Assistant Secretary may award a grant under the Program to any of the following entities if the entity is not serving, and has not served, as the administering entity for a State under section 1723(b) of this title:
(1) A political subdivision, agency, or instrumentality of a State, including an agency of a State that is responsible for administering or supervising adult education and literacy activities, or for providing public housing, in the State.
(2) An Indian Tribe, an Alaska Native entity, or a Native Hawaiian organization.
(3) A foundation, corporation, institution, or association that is—
(A) a not-for-profit entity; and
(B) not a school.
(4) A community anchor institution.
(5) A local educational agency.
(6) An entity that carries out a workforce development program.
(7) A partnership between any of the entities described in paragraphs (1) through (6).
(8) A partnership between—
(A) an entity described in any of paragraphs (1) through (6); and
(B) an entity that—
(i) the Assistant Secretary, by rule, determines to be in the public interest; and
(ii) is not a school.
(c) Application
An entity that wishes to be awarded a grant under the Program shall submit to the Assistant Secretary an application—
(1) at such time, in such form, and containing such information as the Assistant Secretary may require; and
(2) that—
(A) provides a detailed explanation of how the entity will use any grant amounts awarded under the Program to carry out the purposes of the Program in an efficient and expeditious manner;
(B) identifies the period in which the applicant will expend the grant funds awarded under the Program;
(C) includes—
(i) a justification for the amount of the grant that the applicant is requesting; and
(ii) for each fiscal year in which the applicant will expend the grant funds, a budget for the activities that the grant funds will support;
(D) demonstrates to the satisfaction of the Assistant Secretary that the entity—
(i) is capable of carrying out—
(I) the project or function to which the application relates; and
(II) the activities described in subsection (h)—
(aa) in a competent manner; and
(bb) in compliance with all applicable Federal, State, and local laws; and
(ii) if the applicant is an entity described in subsection (b)(1), shall appropriate or otherwise unconditionally obligate from non-Federal sources funds that are necessary to meet the requirements of subsection (e);
(E) discloses to the Assistant Secretary the source and amount of other Federal, State, or outside funding sources from which the entity receives, or has applied for, funding for activities or projects to which the application relates; and
(F) provides—
(i) the assurances that are required under subsection (f); and
(ii) an assurance that the entity shall follow such additional procedures as the Assistant Secretary may require to ensure that grant funds are used and accounted for in an appropriate manner.
(d) Award of grants
(1) Factors considered in award of grants
In deciding whether to award a grant under the Program, the Assistant Secretary shall, to the extent practicable, consider—
(A) whether an application shall, if approved—
(i) increase internet access and the adoption of broadband among covered populations to be served by the applicant; and
(ii) not result in unjust enrichment;
(B) the comparative geographic diversity of the application in relation to other eligible applications; and
(C) the extent to which an application may duplicate or conflict with another program.
(2) Use of funds
(A) In general
In addition to the activities required under subparagraph (B), an entity to which the Assistant Secretary awards a grant under the Program shall use the grant amounts to support not less than 1 of the following activities:
(i) To develop and implement digital inclusion activities that benefit covered populations.
(ii) To facilitate the adoption of broadband by covered populations in order to provide educational and employment opportunities to those populations.
(iii) To implement, consistent with the purposes of this subchapter—
(I) training programs for covered populations that cover basic, advanced, and applied skills; or
(II) other workforce development programs.
(iv) To make available equipment, instrumentation, networking capability, hardware and software, or digital network technology for broadband services to covered populations at low or no cost.
(v) To construct, upgrade, expend, or operate new or existing public access computing centers for covered populations through community anchor institutions.
(vi) To undertake any other project and activity that the Assistant Secretary finds to be consistent with the purposes for which the Program is established.
(B) Evaluation
(i) In general
An entity to which the Assistant Secretary awards a grant under the Program shall use not more than 10 percent of the grant amounts to measure and evaluate the activities supported with the grant amounts.
(ii) Submission to Assistant Secretary
An entity to which the Assistant Secretary awards a grant under the Program shall submit to the Assistant Secretary each measurement and evaluation performed under clause (i)—
(I) in a manner specified by the Assistant Secretary;
(II) not later than 15 months after the date on which the entity is awarded the grant amounts; and
(III) annually after the submission described in subclause (II) for any year in which the entity expends grant amounts.
(C) Administrative costs
An entity to which the Assistant Secretary awards a grant under the Program may use not more than 10 percent of the amount of the grant for administrative costs in carrying out any of the activities described in subparagraph (A).
(D) Time limitations
With respect to a grant awarded to an entity under the Program, the entity—
(i) except as provided in clause (ii), shall expend the grant amounts during the 4-year period beginning on the date on which the entity is awarded the grant amounts; and
(ii) during the 1-year period beginning on the date that is 4 years after the date on which the entity is awarded the grant amounts, may continue to measure and evaluate the activities supported with the grant amounts, as required under subparagraph (B).
(e) Federal share
(1) In general
Except as provided in paragraph (2), the Federal share of any project for which the Assistant Secretary awards a grant under the Program may not exceed 90 percent.
(2) Exception
The Assistant Secretary may grant a waiver with respect to the limitation on the Federal share of a project described in paragraph (1) if—
(A) the applicant with respect to the project petitions the Assistant Secretary for the waiver; and
(B) the Assistant Secretary determines that the petition described in subparagraph (A) demonstrates financial need.
(f) Assurances
When applying for a grant under this section, an entity shall include in the application for that grant assurances that the entity shall—
(1) use any grant funds that the entity is awarded—
(A) in accordance with any applicable statute, regulation, and application procedure; and
(B) to the extent required under applicable law;
(2) adopt and use proper methods of administering any grant that the entity is awarded, including by—
(A) enforcing any obligation imposed under law on any agency, institution, organization, or other entity that is responsible for carrying out a program to which the grant relates;
(B) correcting any deficiency in the operation of a program to which the grant relates, as identified through an audit or another monitoring or evaluation procedure; and
(C) adopting written procedures for the receipt and resolution of complaints alleging a violation of law with respect to a program to which the grant relates;
(3) cooperate with respect to any evaluation—
(A) of any program that relates to a grant awarded to the entity; and
(B) that is carried out by or for the Assistant Secretary or another Federal official;
(4) use fiscal control and fund accounting procedures that ensure the proper disbursement of, and accounting for, any Federal funds that the entity is awarded under the Program;
(5) submit to the Assistant Secretary any reports that may be necessary to enable the Assistant Secretary to perform the duties of the Assistant Secretary under the Program; and
(6) maintain any records and provide any information to the Assistant Secretary, including those records, that the Assistant Secretary determines is necessary to enable the Assistant Secretary to perform the duties of the Assistant Secretary under the Program.
(g) Deobligation or termination of grant
In addition to other authority under applicable law, the Assistant Secretary may—
(1) deobligate or terminate a grant awarded to an entity under this section if, after notice to the entity and opportunity for a hearing, the Assistant Secretary—
(A) presents to the entity a rationale and supporting information that clearly demonstrates that—
(i) the grant funds are not being used in a manner that is consistent with the application with respect to the grant submitted by the entity under subsection (c); and
(ii) the entity is not upholding assurances made by the entity to the Assistant Secretary under subsection (f); and
(B) determines that the grant is no longer necessary to achieve the original purpose for which Assistant 1 Secretary awarded the grant; and
(2) with respect to any grant funds that the Assistant Secretary deobligates or terminates under paragraph (1), competitively award the grant funds to another applicant, consistent with the requirements of this section.
(h) Reporting and information requirements; internet disclosure
The Assistant Secretary—
(1) shall—
(A) require any entity to which the Assistant Secretary awards a grant under the Program to, for each year during the period described in subsection (d)(2)(D) with respect to the grant, submit to the Assistant Secretary a report, in a format specified by the Assistant Secretary, regarding—
(i) the amount of the grant;
(ii) the use by the entity of the grant amounts; and
(iii) the progress of the entity towards fulfilling the objectives for which the grant was awarded;
(B) establish mechanisms to ensure appropriate use of, and compliance with respect to all terms regarding, grant funds awarded under the Program;
(C) create and maintain a fully searchable database, which shall be accessible on the internet at no cost to the public, that contains, at a minimum—
(i) a list of each entity that has applied for a grant under the Program;
(ii) a description of each application described in clause (i), including the proposed purpose of each grant described in that clause;
(iii) the status of each application described in clause (i), including whether the Assistant Secretary has awarded a grant with respect to the application and, if so, the amount of the grant;
(iv) each report submitted by an entity under subparagraph (A); and
(v) any other information that is sufficient to allow the public to understand and monitor grants awarded under the Program; and
(D) ensure that any entity with respect to which an award is deobligated or terminated under subsection (g) may, in a timely manner, appeal or otherwise challenge that deobligation or termination, as applicable; and
(2) may establish additional reporting and information requirements for any recipient of a grant under the Program.
(i) Supplement not supplant
A grant awarded to an entity under the Program shall supplement, not supplant, other Federal or State funds that have been made available to the entity to carry out activities described in this section.
(j) Set asides
From amounts made available in a fiscal year to carry out the Program, the Assistant Secretary shall reserve—
(1) 5 percent for the implementation and administration of the Program, which shall include—
(A) providing technical support and assistance, including ensuring consistency in data reporting;
(B) providing assistance to entities to prepare the applications of those entities with respect to grants awarded under this section;
(C) developing the report required under section 1725(a) of this title; and
(D) conducting outreach to entities that may be eligible to be awarded a grant under the Program regarding opportunities to apply for such a grant;
(2) 5 percent to award grants to, or enter into contracts or cooperative agreements with, Indian Tribes, Alaska Native entities, and Native Hawaiian organizations to allow those tribes, entities, and organizations to carry out the activities described in this section; and
(3) 1 percent to award grants to, or enter into contracts or cooperative agreements with, the United States Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and any other territory or possession of the United States that is not a State to enable those entities to carry out the activities described in this section.
(k) Rules
The Assistant Secretary may prescribe such rules as may be necessary to carry out this section.
(l) Authorization of appropriations
There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section—
(1) $250,000,000 for each of the first 5 fiscal years in which funds are made available to carry out this section; and
(2) such sums as may be necessary for each fiscal year after the end of the 5-fiscal year period described in paragraph (1).

History

(Pub. L. 117–58, div. F, title III, §60305, Nov. 15, 2021, 135 Stat. 1222.)