State Broadband Investment Programs

Kansas Office of Broadband Development Investment Programs

The Kansas Office of Broadband Development (KOBD) has launched several broadband investment programs to connect Kansans in unserved and underserved areas in the state since its 2020 inception.

In 2020, the Strengthening People and Revitalizing Kansas (SPARK) committee allocated $60M in Coronavirus Relief Funding (CRF) to the Kansas Office of Broadband Development (KOBD) to increase connectivity in the State of Kansas, in response to needs precipitated by the COVID-19 pandemic which forced many to stay at home.

As a result, KOBD launched two pandemic response programs. Connectivity Emergency Response Grant (CERG) program and the Broadband Partnership Adoption Grant (BPAG) program were created to drive immediate access and long-term impact. Expanding broadband infrastructure and supporting internet access was critical to meeting urgent Covid-19 needs related to telehealth services, remote learning, and remote work, while also investing in the state of Kansas for future generations.

Broadband Acceleration Grant Program

Also launched in 2020, the state’s only broadband investment program, the Broadband Acceleration Grant Program, is poised to invest $85 million over 10 years toward bridging the digital divide in Kansas. The broadband infrastructure construction and modernization funding is provided through the Kansas Department of Transportation’s Eisenhower Legacy Transportation Program (IKE).

Currently in the second of ten funding years, this competitive grant program will invest $5 million in grant awards for years one through three, and $10 million in funding awards for years four through ten. The program prioritizes bringing access to unserved and undeserved areas through the construction of broadband infrastructure across Kansas.

The map below indicates communities impacted through these investment programs:

click on the toolbar on the left-hand side of the map to select from our various grant programs

Capital Project Funds

The Capital Project Fund program was developed to bring broadband infrastructure that will deliver speeds that meet or exceed symmetrical speeds of 100 Mbps to unserved areas across Kansas.

The Capital Project Fund program is intended to address the following priorities:

Broadband infrastructure deployment designed to directly enable work, education, and healthcare monitoring
Address a critical need that resulted from or was made apparent or exacerbated by the COVID-19 public health emergency
Address a critical need of the community to be served by it

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