NEBRASKA BROADBAND BRIDGE PROGRAM & STEALTH BROADBAND

The Broadband Bridge Act, enacted in 2021, is a program that facilitates and funds the development of broadband networks in unserved and underserved areas of Nebraska. The Public Service Commission is responsible for administering grants to providers, cooperatives, and political subdivisions to fund qualifying broadband development projects.

Under the bill, grant recipients must commit to maintaining a minimum 100 Mbps of download and upload speeds for all locations for which they have received grant funding and agree to offer broadband in the project area for 15 years.

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A project involving development of a broadband network in an unserved or underserved area may be considered. An unserved area is an area of Nebraska in which locations lack access to broadband Internet service at speeds of at least twenty-five megabits per second for downloading and three megabits per second for uploading (25Mbps/3Mbps). An underserved area is an area of Nebraska in which locations lack access to broadband Internet service at speeds of at least one-hundred megabits per second for downloading and twenty megabits per second for uploading (100Mbps/20Mbps). Applications involving underserved areas must also include a digital inclusion plan that demonstrates access to and use of information and communication technologies by all individuals and communities in the project area, including the most disadvantaged individuals and communities. The plan must describe the carrier’s efforts to ensure members of the community to be served will be able to afford the services offered and must describe any discounts and/or support programs to be offered for low-income individuals. Acceptable digital inclusion plans must not impose data caps on consumer usage.

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The NBBP is designed to assist with costly deployment projects that might not otherwise occur without public assistance. The PSC has the authority to grant awards to assist applicants with eligible infrastructure installation costs for qualifying projects.