The FCC will host a webinar on Friday, December 9, 2022 to discuss the funding opportunities available to support Tribal outreach through the Affordable Connectivity Outreach Grant Program.  The ACP Outreach Grant Program allocates a minimum of $10 million through its Tribal Competitive Grant Program specifically for outreach to Tribal communities to raise awareness of the Affordable Connectivity Program and its enhanced Tribal benefit of $75 monthly to help households on Tribal lands afford the cost of having reliable high-quality internet service at home.

To register for the webinar, please email native@fcc.gov with the subject line “Webinar Registration.”  The webinar will be recorded and available online after the event.

The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) is a $14.2 billion FCC benefit program that helps qualifying low-income households afford the broadband they need for work, school, healthcare and more.  On November 10, 2022, the FCC released Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the ACP Outreach Grant Program, which includes up to $60 million for the National Competitive Outreach Program (NCOP) and a minimum of $10 million for the Tribal Competitive Outreach Program (TCOP).  These grant programs will facilitate the promotion of ACP awareness and participation in the ACP among eligible households by seeking to enlist trusted community messengers to develop innovative outreach strategies to reach historically unserved and underserved communities, including low-income households, aging populations, individuals with disabilities, individual with language barriers, racial and ethnic minorities, and individuals living in rural areas or on Tribal lands.  For Fiscal Year 2023, eligible entities to serve as outreach partners to the FCC may include Tribal governments and subdivisions thereof, as well as Tribal organizations.  Any eligible entity, including Tribes and Tribal organizations may apply for TCOP funds.  TCOP funds, however, must be used solely to focus on ACP outreach and/or ACP application assistance activities to persons who live on qualifying Tribal lands,

The ACP program, which has served more than 15 million households to date, plays an integral role in helping to bridge the broadband affordability gap, which is an ongoing priority for Congress, the FCC, and across the federal government.

The Tribal webinar is scheduled for Friday, December 9, 2022 from 2:00 – 3:30 p.m. EST and will provide a detailed overview of the NCOP and TCOP, including eligibility, how to navigate the application process and the required forms, and what to expect after submitting an application.    This event is free and registration is open to the public. 

The TCOP grant application deadline is January 9, 2023, 11:59 p.m. EST.

Webinar Agenda:

2:00 p.m. – 2:05 p.m.            Welcome and Opening Remarks
Bambi Kraus, Chief
Office of Native Affairs and Policy

2:05 p.m. – 2:35 p.m.           ACP Outreach Grant Program NOFO Overview
Miriam Montgomery
FCC Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau

2:35 p.m.  – 3:05 p.m.            Application Package Overview
Joy Sears
FCC Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau

3:05 p.m. – 3:25 p.m.            Moderated Questions and Answers
Bambi Kraus (moderator)
Miriam Montgomery

3:25 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.            Closing Remarks
Bambi Kraus, Chief
Office of Native Affairs and Policy

Prior to the webinar, ONAP encourages participants to read the ACP Outreach Grant Program NOFO and additional reference documents (Frequently Asked Questions, Fact Sheet) available at https://www.fcc.gov/acp-grants.  ONAP further encourages the public to e-mail questions in advance or during the event to native@fcc.gov.