Legislative Services

TAC Federal Outreach Team Attends NACo Knowledge Management Forum

TAC’s federal outreach team joined representatives from the National Association of Counties (NACo) and other states’ county associations Jan. 10-12 to discuss shared legislative priorities, with a focus on county issues emerging from COVID-19 and the passage of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and Infrastructure, Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA).

TAC’s federal outreach team gained insight into NACo’s new resource, the County Government Overview Project, which will be used to foster collaboration across state lines, educate policymakers and inform the public.

Request for Comment on Broadband Programs in Infrastructure Law

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) is providing the opportunity for stakeholders across the nation to make their views known on the broadband programs in the IIJA. They are requesting public written comment on a wide range of policy and program considerations listed here.

Written comments must be submitted on or before 4 p.m. CST on Feb. 4. All electronic public comments on this action, identified by regulations.gov docket number NTIA-2021-0002, may be submitted through the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal.

In addition to the public comment option, NTIA will host two public virtual listening sessions that may be accessed online. The sessions are set for:

• Feb. 9, 1:30-3 p.m. CST
• Feb. 23, 1:30-3 p.m. CST

NTIA is responsible for distributing more than $48 billion of the broadband funding included in the infrastructure law. IIJA includes a total investment of $65 billion to help close the digital divide and increase access to reliable, affordable, high-speed broadband.

ReConnect Program: FY2022 Application Workshops 

The USDA Rural Development Rural Utilities Service is providing a three-day workshop for those interested in applying for ReConnect Loan and Grant Program funding. 

The workshop will take place Feb. 8-10. Register here. The three-day workshop will take place virtually and provide attendees with an understanding of the ReConnect program application system and program requirements for FY2022.

Topics will include:

• Program eligibility.
• Evaluation criteria.
• Live demonstrations of the application system.
• Overview and deep-dive sessions on financial, network, environmental and mapping requirements.
• Compliance and post-award reporting.

Registration is now open. Seats are limited. Workshop content will be posted on the ReConnect website as soon as possible after the workshops are completed.

The ReConnect program offers loans, grants and loan/grant combinations to facilitate broadband deployment in areas of rural America without sufficient access to broadband. More information about the ReConnect program is available online.

For more information about this article, please contact Megan Molleur.