By TIM CARPENTER
Kansas Reflector
TOPEKA — The Kansas Department of Commerce received 36 applications for a share of $5 million in matching funds for improvement of broadband access.
Commerce secretary David Toland, who also serves as the lieutenant governor, said a public comment period would be open until March 8 for consideration of specific grant proposals for upgrading communication services in more than 30 counties. Grant applicants will have an opportunity in mid-March to respond to public input.
The Broadband Acceleration Grant Program provides 50% of total cost of infrastructure projects planned for completion by October 2023. The program aims to support projects that wouldn’t likely be completed without state or federal financial assistance.
“The intense demand for this program across Kansas reflects the widespread need for more robust broadband access in unserved areas of Kansas,” Toland said. “We are committed to being transparent and making the best possible investment decisions for Kansas broadband infrastructure.”
To review applications and provide commentary, click here.
Money for the grant program will be drawn from the Eisenhower Legacy Transportation Program adopted with bipartisan legislative support in 2020 and signed into law by Gov. Laura Kelly.
Stanley Adams, director of the commerce department’s office of broadband development, said the comment period was a tool for evaluating complex proposals to guarantee the state made solid investment decisions.
“Receiving public comment before projects are awarded furthers the value and impact these grant projects make and we look forward to leveraging public input again for this year’s program,” he said.