Connect Wyoming ARPA/CPF Application Awards as of December 13, 2023:

The U.S. Treasury launched the Coronavirus Capital Projects Fund in 2021 and is funded by the American Rescue Plan which provides $10 billion for eligible governments to carry out critical capital projects that directly enable work, education, and health monitoring, including remote options, in response to the COVID 19 public health emergency.

Governor Mark Gordon designated $75 million of the ARPA/CPF funding for broadband Infrastructure improvements across the state to ensure that Wyomingites have the ability to telework, learn from home and have access to telemedicine. The Wyoming Business Council Broadband Office was designated as the administrator of the funds.

On February 21, 2023, The Capital Projects Fund (CPF) for broadband infrastructure was approved by The Treasury to invest $70.5 million to expand broadband infrastructure in Wyoming. All projects must be completed by December 31, 2026.

The Connect Wyoming ARPA/CPF program was designed for the distribution of CPF funding, focusing on the deployment of broadband infrastructure to bring access to high-quality internet service to homes, businesses, and communities. Aligned with the U.S. Treasury Coronavirus Capital Projects Fund guidance, fiber-optic infrastructure is the preferred solution as it provides a future-proof capital investment for bandwidth scalability as technology evolves with future bandwidth requirements. The program’s goal is to provide affordable universal access to reliable broadband services with a minimum of 100 Mbps upload and download speeds with low latency in the awarded areas, focusing on broadband access to unserved and underserved areas, with all infrastructure to be installed, owned, and operated by the applicant.

Broadband providers were given the opportunity to submit applications for projects that would provide service to unserved and underserved locations and be scored based on three categories 1) Connecting Wyoming (the percent of unserved/underserved locations), 2) Proposed Solution (emphasizing fiber optic technology), 3) Project Readiness and Administration (cash match, permit/rights-of-way, timeline). The Wyoming Business Council received 116 applications totaling $413 million in total project costs, with $88 million in provider contribution, for a total grant request of $325 million.

CTC Technologies was retained by the Council as an independent non-biased consultant to review the applications and make a recommendation to the Council for the grant awards. Thirty-two applications are being awarded for funding totaling $70,499,575.08.

Application Award Summary: