The Capital Projects Fund (CPF), part of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), provides $10 billion nationally and $135 million to Nevada to fund critical broadband capital projects that enable work, education, and health monitoring in response to the public health emergency. Together with State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds, funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and State funds, Nevada's CPF dollars will move the State closer to its goal of universal access to high speed internet that is affordable, reliable, and scalable. Nevada's CPF plans are a part of the larger High Speed Nevada Initiative- a $500 million statewide effort to deploy broadband infrastructure and digital equity programming that will help close the digital divide. Information on Nevada's Capital Projects Fund Programs can be found below.
Low-Income MDU Connectivity Program Overview
Program Objective: To increase internet connectivity and available speeds through construction of last mile fiber to Nevada’s Public Housing Multi Dwelling Units (MDUs).
Total Funding Allocated: $55,164,890
Funding Source: Capital Projects Fund, American Rescue Plan Act, US Treasury
Estimated Number of Residential Units to be Connected: 40,000
Project Timeline: 2023-2026
Project Locations: Statewide
Project Need: In preparation for submitting its CPF Program plans, The Office of Science, Innovation and Technology (OSIT) conducted extensive community engagement and learned that during the pandemic, low-income Nevadans living in public or subsidized MDUs struggled with a lack of bandwidth needed for critical education, remote work, telehealth, accessing reliable health information, and other government and community-related services that were no longer available through any other means. During meetings with housing managers, inequitable, antiquated infrastructure to and within MDUs was identified as a barrier to residents’ access to affordable high-speed Internet. Data from the State and regional housing authorities in Nevada show over 40,000 individual low-income, tax-subsidized housing units in MDUs that need affordable high-speed Internet. This Capital Projects Fund Program will bring high-speed broadband services at a minimum of 100Mbps symmetrical to low-income Nevadans living in tax subsidized MDUs.
Project Summary: The Low-Income MDU Program Plan will address a critical issue faced by low-income Nevadans statewide: broadband infrastructure to and within low-income housing that cannot support residents’ bandwidth needs, further widening the digital divide. For low-income Nevadans residing in low-income multi-dwelling units (MDUs) across the state, CPF funds will be used to upgrade connections to the point of demarcation for the MDU and to improve internal wiring and wired and wireless network equipment within the MDU. This Program will begin to bring modern, scalable broadband infrastructure into some of the most disadvantaged communities in Nevada by building fiber to every multi-dwelling unit demarcation point and investing in in-building wired and wireless coverage that ensures every unit within the MDU has broadband service that meets or exceed the minimum 100Mbps symmetrical service standard. The disadvantaged communities targeted are mostly tax-subsidized, low-income multi-dwelling units. This infrastructure directly facilitates improved connectivity that is essential for the residential population to successfully participate in remote work, distance education and health monitoring.
The Northern Nevada Middle Mile Program Overview
Program Objective: To build interconnectivity infrastructure linking rural unserved population centers with Internet Exchange facilities in order to provide affordable and scalable Internet to households.
Total Funding Allocated: $73,657,979
Funding Source: Capital Projects Fund, American Rescue Plan Act, US Treasury
Estimated Number of Households Affected: 42,500
Project Timeline: 2023-2026
Project Locations: Northern Nevada
Project Need: Many rural residents in Northern Nevada are unable to access affordable, reliable, and scalable high-speed broadband because local providers that wish to serve these residents have few options to obtain the middle mile transport bandwidth they require. After meeting with community, government, and private provider stakeholders, OSIT determined that without affordable middle mile infrastructure, last-mile fiber-to-the-home subsidies alone would not result in fast and affordable internet options for these Nevadans.
Project Summary: The Northern Nevada Middle Mile program focuses on unserved and underserved areas along the rural portion of the I-80 corridor in Northern Nevada, stretching the entire width of the state. The program will build ubiquitous, open access, middle mile infrastructure along the I-80 route with robust, redundant pathways to major internet exchange points, a range of lit middle mile services offered at affordable pricing comparable to that available in metropolitan areas, and long-term dark fiber IRUs available to competing companies. OSIT estimates that the project will result in improved access for approximately 42,500 rural locations.