USDA Invests $1 Billion to Improve Community Infrastructure in Rural Towns

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Funding Will Increase Access to Health Care, Education and Public Safety in Rural Communities

United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that USDA is investing $1 billion to build and improve critical community facilities in 48 states, Puerto Rico and Guam. This infrastructure funding will increase access to health care, education and public safety while spurring community development and building sound infrastructure for people living in rural communities.

USDA Deputy Secretary, Dr. Jewel Bronaugh, stated that investing in infrastructure improvements is a top priority of the current administration. This announcement makes loans and grants available to assist rural communities invest in facilities and services that are deemed vital such as: health care facilities, schools, libraries, and first responder vehicles and equipment.

The announcement highlighted 731 projects under five over-arching programs:
• Community Facilities Direct Loans and Grants
• Community Facilities Loan Guarantees
• Community Facilities Technical Assistance Training Grants
• Community Facilities Disaster Grants
• Economic Impact Initiative Grants

Nevada Congressman, Mark Amodei has been integral in securing $8.1M of the Community Facilities Direct Loan for the Elko Institute for Academic Achievement.

Learn More

WNDD Economic Recovery Update – Winter 2021/2022

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WNDD LAUNCHES NEVADA SPEED TEST FOR IMPROVED INTERNET ACCESS

Happy New Year and welcome to the Winter 2021/2022 edition of the Economic Recovery and Resiliency Update from the Western Nevada Development District (WNDD)!

This newsletter is part of WNDD’s effort to build a more resilient economy in our region. The activities and progress of WNDD and the Action Teams will be reported to help WNDD members and other businesses and organizations plan and implement their recovery and resiliency efforts.

This publication is part of a Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) Supplemental Award for the United States. It intends to help troubled areas attract industry, retain and develop businesses, and create long-term sustainable private-sector jobs and investments.

We look forward to sharing new information with you each month.

Sheryl Gonzales

Read the Update!

USDA ReConnect Program

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2022 Application Workshops Announced

The USDA Rural Development Rural Utilities Service (RUS) is providing two, three-day virtual workshops for those interested in applying for ReConnect Program funding. The ReConnect Program offers loans, grants, and loan/grant combinations to facilitate broadband deployment in areas of rural America without sufficient access to broadband.

Both workshops will present the same content. Register for the dates convenient for you. Workshop content will be posted on the ReConnect website as well.

Workshop Webinar 1: Tuesday, January 18th – Thursday, January 20th.

Workshop Webinar 2: Tuesday, February 8th – Thursday, February 10th.

Workshops will explore 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

Space is limited. Register Today!

ReConnect Program Information

Workshop 1: January 18 thru 20, 2022

Workshop 2: February 8 thru 10, 2022

EDA Announces 60 Finalists for $1 Billion

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“Build Back Better Regional Challenge”

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo announced the 60 finalists for the U.S. Economic Development Administration’s (EDA) $1 billion “Build Back Better Regional Challenge” the main component of the EDA’s American Rescue Plan programs.

The 60 finalists were selected from a pool of 529 applications and will receive a grant of approximately $500,000 each. Applications were received from 45 states and Puerto Rico. Additionally, the finalists will move on to Phase 2 of the challenge which will award a select group of 20 to 30 regional coalitions up to $100 million to implement 3 to 8 projects that support an industry sector.

The “Build Back Better Regional Challenge” seeks to boost economic pandemic recovery and rebuild American communities, including some that have been grappling with decades of disinvestment.

Build Back Better Regional Challenge

All Finalists

New Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act

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Allocates More Than $1.5 Billion to Brownfields Program

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, signed into law last month, will dedicate more than $1.5 billion to the U.S. EPA Brownfields program. The Act includes hundreds of millions of dollars allocated to Multipurpose Grants, Assessment Grants, Cleanup Grants, Revolving Loan Fund Grants, and technical assistance and is intended to improve equity, stimulate redevelopment and reuse, create jobs, and mitigate environmental degradation.

U.S. EPA released an outline of how it will distribute the funding, including key information about funding limits for multi-purpose, assessment, cleanup, and revolving loan fund grants, plus upcoming grant timelines.

Check out the outline to the funding allocation below and join the National Brownfields Coalition for a conversation about opportunities arising from the Act and the state of brownfields nationally on Thursday, Dec. 16 at 10 a.m. (PT).

Registration: State of the Redevelopment Field

Read the funding breakdown here: Bipartisan Infrastructure Law: A Historic Investment in Brownfields

Bipartisan Infrastructure Law

Take the Nevada Speed Test Today!

Infrastructure Act Broadband Grants

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Public Listening Sessions Set for Infrastructure Act Broadband Grants

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) will host its first Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act Broadband Programs Public Virtual Listening Session on:

Wednesday, December 15, 2021
11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Pacific Time (PT)

There are five new broadband grant programs authorized and funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act:

• Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program
• Enabling Middle Mile Broadband Infrastructure Program
• Digital Equity Act Programs (Includes the State Digital Equity Planning Grant Program)
• State Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program
• Digital Equity Competitive Grant Program

Listening sessions will be hosted via NTIA’s virtual platform and conducted as a live public listening session. Registration information is required. The public virtual listening sessions are designed to collect stakeholder input to help inform program development and implementation. NTIA will hold additional public virtual listening sessions throughout January and February of 2022.

Registration: Public Listening Sessions

Nevada Speed Test

Without You, We Can’t Close the Digital Divide!

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Take the Nevada Speed Test!

Reliable, affordable broadband connectivity is vital to the development and well-being of all residents in the Western Nevada Development District (WNDD) region. However, not all communities are equally-well served with broadband connectivity.

The Nevada Speed Test is counting on fellow Nevadans to pinpoint those locations by logging on to NevadaSpeedTest.org, a mapping tool which measures internet speeds. By analyzing home and business connectivity, strategies can be identified and funding solutions pursued that improve regional broadband infrastructure.

The Nevada Speed Test may be performed on any device that has an internet or cellular connection and takes less than one minute to complete. No personal information will be collected. Repeated speed tests are encouraged during the one-year initiative to better capture variations in internet speeds and collect more statistically valid data.

If you haven’t taken the test, please log in today. If you have, please share with your friends, family and business colleagues. To help you help us, below is a copy/paste blurb ready for sharing on your social media platforms or e-mail outreach.

Nevada Speed Test

Copy and Paste Blurb Below to Help Spread the Word!

Please join me in being part of the Western Nevada Broadband Initiative, a coalition of local governments working to improve broadband connectivity. Your help is needed to pinpoint the region’s most unserved and underserved homes and businesses. By logging on to NevadaSpeedTest.org, a mapping tool which measures internet speeds, we can analyze home and business connectivity to identify strategies and funding solutions to improve our regional broadband infrastructure. It takes less than a minute and thanks for your help!

Connectivity in Nevada

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Broadband Funding Could Help Our Rural Communities

Connectivity is a crucial element for students and educators, particularly in rural Nevada. KTVN’s Paul Nelson profiled Western Nevada Development District (WNDD) member Pershing County and its school district’s reliance on the internet and the obvious gaps in digital service.

The Nevada Speed Test can help affected communities access funds being made available through the American Rescue Plan and the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Improvement and Jobs Act.

WNDD is urging everyone to be counted and be connected. Take the Speed Test Today!

KTVN: Broadband Funding

Nevada Speed Test

Five for Friday: Grant Opportunities – November 2021

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In our Nevada Speed Test edition of Five for Friday (Be counted and be connected at NevadaSpeedTest.org) we share economic development grants and loans which can help revitalize and build sustainability in urban, rural, and tribal communities. In this edition, the Western Nevada Development District shares grant programs that can help rural broadband connectivity, bolster school nutrition programs with locally-sourced food and promote water efficiency in the arid West.

 

ReConnect Program
US Department of Agriculture

USDA Rural Development recently announced that it will begin accepting applications on November 24, 2021, for up to $1.15 billion in loans and grants to expand the availability of broadband in rural areas. $350 million in grant funding – with no matching funds requirement – is being made available for Tribal governments and socially vulnerable communities.

Application Deadline: February 22, 2022

ReConnect Program

 

Telecommunications Infrastructure Program
U.S. Department of Agriculture

USDA Rural Development is accepting applications for loans and loan guarantees to build or update broadband and telephone infrastructure in rural areas where financing can be used for the construction, improvement, or expansion of telecommunications infrastructure serving rural areas with a population of 5,000 or less.

Application Deadline: Ongoing

Telecommunications Infrastructure Program

 

Farm to School Grant Program
U.S. Department of Agriculture

USDA Food and Nutrition Service Grants to plan, establish, and/or sustain a Farm to School program that improves access to local foods and nutrition/agriculture resources in schools. A Frequently Asked Questions document will also be available through the Farm to School Grant Applicant Resources Page of the FNS website. Please keep an eye on The Dirt e-newsletter for updates about the Farm to School Grant application!

Application Deadline: January 10, 2022

Farm to School Grant Program

 

WaterSMART
Bureau of Reclamation (USBR.gov)

Through WaterSMART, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation works cooperatively with states, tribes, and local entities as they plan for and implement actions to increase water supply through investments to modernize existing infrastructure. Through WaterSMART, Reclamation provides financial assistance to water managers for projects that seek to conserve and use water more efficiently and accomplish other benefits that contribute to sustainability in the western United States. Up to $2 million is available for projects that must be completed within three years.

Application deadline: December 9, 2021

WaterSMART

 

Investing in Food

America’s Healthy Food Financing Initiative offers resources such as grants, loans, technical assistance services, programming, and other forms of support to projects that will improve access to fresh, healthy foods in underserved rural and urban areas. The Targeted Small Grants Program (TSG Program) is making available at least $4 million will be available for grants for innovative fresh food retail and food system enterprises Grants will range from $20,000 to $200,000.

Letters of Interest due: December 7, 2021

America’s Healthy Food Finance Initiative

 

 

 

 

 

Take the Nevada Speed Test

KOLO TV Covers Nevada Broadband

Free Internet Speed Test Launched to Better Connect People to School, Business and Government Services

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Local Governments Partner in Western Nevada Broadband Initiative

The Western Nevada Development District (WNDD) is partnering with local governments to launch the Nevada Speed Test, a project to bring reliable broadband service to the region’s most unserved and underserved homes and businesses. This connectivity is a cornerstone to business, education, financial literacy, access to employment and health care through telemedicine.

The Nevada Speed Test is counting on fellow Nevadans to pinpoint those locations by logging on to www.nevadaspeedtest.org, a mapping tool which measures internet speeds. By analyzing home and business connectivity, strategies can be identified and funding solutions pursued that improve regional broadband infrastructure.

The Nevada Speed Test is a primary element of the Western Nevada Broadband Initiative, a coalition of local governments that are members of WNDD which engages in regional economic development planning. The goal is to gather data in all communities within western Nevada served by the Development District.

“As local communities are dealing with community connectivity, or trying to apply for federal grants, we are running into challenges with the data that is needed to support those projects and grant applications,” said Reno City Councilwoman Naomi Duerr, who also serves as President of the Western Nevada Development District (WNDD).

The speed test and mapping hardware was created by GEO Partners LLC, a Minnesota-based tech company that analyzes real-time internet speed data by collecting speed test information from residents. GEO is an independent broadband data collection and analysis firm with extensive experience and not affiliated with any internet service providers (ISPs).

The Nevada Speed Test may be performed on any device that has an internet or cellular connection and takes less than one minute to complete. Citizens are asked only to take the speed test from their residence, place of business or school. Participation by everyone is essential. No personal information will be collected. Repeated speed tests are encouraged during the one-year initiative to better capture variations in internet speeds and collect more statistically valid data.

Speed test information will be superimposed on layers of GIS data for the region and will help pinpoint areas that are most in need of reliable, affordable access to broadband service. The tool can also create project cost estimates, measuring everything from topography to types of fiber construction methods and materials.

“Data is a critical piece to help local broadband groups and regional governments invest where service is needed and to avoid overbuilding infrastructure,” Duerr said. “With their groundbreaking work in other states, GEO Partners is a perfect fit.”

The Nevada Speed Test is particularly timely with the announcement of the American Rescue Plan which is calling for $10 billion for broadband and other projects through the Coronavirus Capital Projects Fund. At least $100 million is expected to come to Nevada. Another $42.5 billion for broadband has been included in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill presently working its way through Congress. If enacted, this will mean a further $300 to $400 million to Nevada for broadband.

The Western Nevada Broadband Initiative will make this data available to local government partners to better provide the services citizens need and to use the date to capture federal grant funding.

“The Western Nevada Broadband initiative is interested in this mapping information being available to decision-makers so that they can provide the service that their citizens need,” said WNDD Vice President, Heidi Lusby-Angvick, Director of the Pershing County Economic Development Authority. “This speed test and mapping initiative will also provide information so that we can be more competitive in grant applications.”

Members of the Western Nevada Broadband Initiative include City of Reno, City of Sparks. City of Fernley. City of Lovelock, City of Fallon, City of Winnemucca, Douglas County, Washoe County, Storey County, Mineral County, Pershing County and Humboldt County. Marketing partners include the Nevada Farm Bureau and the Nevada Rural Housing Authority and WNDD’s Associate Members.

For more information, log on to www.wndd.org/broadband or contact Des Craig, Economic Recovery Coordinator and WNDD Broadband Project Manager at dcraig@wndd.org or (775) 560-0144.