House Bill 387 Summary

• Modifies the Growing Rural Economies with Access to Technology (GREAT) program to expand eligible projects, recipients, and partnerships for broadband deployment in unserved areas of economically distressed counties.

• Increases maximum grant award from existing limits to up to $2,000,000 per project, with allowance for multiple grants per county if funds remain available after top-scoring projects are awarded.

• Adjusts grant scoring criteria and matching fund requirements based on application scores, with matching requirements ranging from 35% to 55% depending on score level.

• Appropriates $15,000,000 annually from fiscal years 2019-2020 through 2028-2029 to the GREAT Fund for broadband infrastructure development.

• Directs the Department of Administration to develop a streamlined approval process (no more than 270 days) for lease agreements related to broadband equipment installation on State-owned property, with implementation required by December 1, 2019.