Alaska Broadband Office The Alaska Broadband Office (ABO) was created on August 9, 2022, when Governor Dunleavy signed Alaska House Bill 363 into law. The State of Alaska had been engaged in broadband work for several years, most recently highlighted through efforts of the Governor’s Task Force on Broadband in their Final Report issued in November of 2021. Formal broadband efforts were then transferred to the Commissioner’s Office in the Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development. The Alaska Broadband Office oversees the State of Alaska's efforts to ensure all Alaskans have high quality, affordable internet. This will be done through two federal programs: the Digital Equity Act (DE) and the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program. These programs, established under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) passed by Congress in November 2021, allocate funds to expand broadband access for underserved and unserved communities in Alaska. Alaska Broadband Grant Program NEW UPDATE 4/14/25: Estimated Updated Alaska Broadband Grant Program Calendar: Mid-May: Updated Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) guidance from National Telecommunications and information Administration (NTIA). NTIA guidance + 5 days: May 16 - May 19 (estimated): ABO revises and publishes an updated grant program. May 20 – June 18 (estimated): 30-day public comment period. June 19 – July 7 (estimated): ABO revises and publishes an updated grant program. July 8 – September 5 (estimated): 60-day grant application period. September 6 – January 16, 2026 (estimated): ABO application review and proposed subgrantee selection. January 17 through approval of subgrantee selection (estimated): NTIA/National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) approval. Prospective applicants are encouraged to continue working on: Criterion 3 – Financial Capability Criterion 5 – Technical Capability The ABO has performed an initial DRAFT evaluation of the potential EO impact. That criterion and scoring impact can be found here. The Alaska Broadband Office has developed a “scratch pad analysis” Excel spreadsheet which compiles publicly available data to allow for running different potential scenarios. This spreadsheet is provided only as a tool and is not meant to be used for applying to the Alaska Broadband Grant Program or for any other use. A link to the spreadsheet can be found here. Recordings from the listening sessions on March 26, 2025 and March 27, 2025 Application specific guidance is available here. To view the NOFO, appendices, and related resources click here. To request paper copies of the Notice of Funding Opportunity, Application, and Appendices and for general questions please email the Grant Administrator at jan.cox@alaska.gov or call 907-269-5797. Request for Proposals AK BROADBAND GRANT RECIPIENT NEPA REVIEWER - Alaska Online Public Notices PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER REVIEW FOR THE ALASKA BROADBAND GRANT PROJECT - Alaska Online Public Notices Alaska Digital Empowerment Capacity Grant Program The Grant application period closed on April 12, 2025. Grant awards are expected to be announced by July 15,2025. Application specific guidance is available here. To view the NOFO, appendices, and related resources click here To request paper copies of the Notice of Funding Opportunity, Application, and Appendices and for general questions please email the Grant Administrator at jan.cox@alaska.gov or call 907-269-5797. Technical Assistance Sessions To view meeting times click here.