Notice of Expansion and Proposed Restructuring of the Digital Opportunity Demonstration Program, 14515 [2024-03881]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 39 (Tuesday, February 27, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Page 14515]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-03881]



[[Page 14515]]

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DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

[Docket No. FR-6338-N-02]


Notice of Expansion and Proposed Restructuring of the Digital 
Opportunity Demonstration Program

AGENCY: Office of Public and Indian Housing, HUD.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: On October 17, 2023, HUD issued a Notice of Expansion and 
Proposed Restructuring of the Digital Demonstration Program 
(ConnectHomeUSA). ConnectHomeUSA is designed to further the 
collaborative efforts by HUD-assisted housing organizations, 
government, industry, and nonprofit organizations to accelerate 
broadband internet adoption and use in HUD-assisted homes. This Notice 
extends eligible applicants to now include Continuum of Care Program 
and Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS Program grantees. This 
Notice also extends the application deadline for all applicants.

DATES: Applications are due April 12, 2024.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dina Lehmann-Kim, Program Manager, 
Public and Indian Housing, Department of Housing and Urban Development, 
451 7th Street SW, Room 4130, Washington, DC 20024; telephone number 
202-402-2430; email: [email protected]. HUD welcomes and is 
prepared to receive calls from individuals who are deaf or hard of 
hearing, as well as individuals with speech or communication 
disabilities. To learn more about how to make an accessible telephone 
call, please visit https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/telecommunications-relay-service-trs.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Notice

    This Notice further expands eligibility of CHUSA to Continuum of 
Care (CoC) and Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) 
grantees. Under the prior Notice, only Public Housing Authorities, 
Tribes, and Multifamily owners/operators were eligible to apply (88 FR 
55693, October 17, 2023). HUD is committed to advancing digital 
opportunities in HUD-assisted communities by expanding its 
ConnectHomeUSA (CHUSA) initiative to between 50 and 100 new communities 
as Tier 1 CHUSA communities.
    HUD's goal is to identify new communities from urban, rural, and 
Tribal locations with both small and large populations that have the 
capacity to effectively narrow the digital divide, including expanding 
programs and capabilities over time. HUD seeks communities where state, 
local or Tribal leadership has already taken steps to support the goals 
of CHUSA, as measured by both the community's participation in other 
complementary Federal initiatives such as the Affordable Connectivity 
Program \1\ which enhance internet access in communities and/or by 
local broadband plans and strategies for implementation. HUD seeks to 
partner with new communities, as well as existing CHUSA communities 
that wish to continue their work, and provide technical assistance to 
these communities to identify financial, in-kind and other resources to 
accomplish the goals of CHUSA. In this vein, HUD encourages applicants 
to familiarize themselves with other Federal programs that are funding 
broadband, such as the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment grant 
($42.45 billion) and the Digital Equity Act grant program ($2.75 
billion) by going to this comprehensive website: 
www.internetforall.gov.
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    \1\ The Affordable Connectivity Program provides a monthly 
subsidy of up to $30 ($75 on qualifying Tribal lands) to cover the 
cost of internet service for low-income Americans. At the time of 
the publication of this Notice, the Federal Communications 
Commission (FCC) ended new enrollments because ACP is expected to 
run out of funding in April of this year without new Congressional 
appropriations. A bipartisan proposal, the Affordable Connectivity 
Program Extension Act, was introduced which would add $7 billion to 
the program. The Biden Administration has also requested $6 billion 
for the program. For more information to go: Affordable Connectivity 
Program [verbar] Federal Communications Commission (https://www.fcc.gov/acp).
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    Through this Notice, HUD is expanding eligible applicants to 
include CoC and HOPWA grantees. Grantees of these programs, especially 
those using assistance tied to a particular housing site, such as 
project-based rental assistance, may benefit from the technical 
assistance and structure of CHUSA to begin designing digital inclusion 
programs that will support residents connecting to free or low-cost 
internet, provide internet accessible devices, provide education to 
help maintain housing, strengthen health and well-being, and build 
self-sufficiency.
    The number of communities served by CHUSA will depend on the number 
of communities that commit to narrowing the digital divide and that 
meet the criteria outlined in the prior Notice (88 FR 71586). 
Applicants should review Appendix A in the prior Notice which outlines: 
the Restructuring of CHUSA into a tiered model; the goals of CHUSA; HUD 
support and recognition of sites' achievements; application 
requirements; and participation requirements of selected communities. 
CoC and HOPWA grantees interested in applying to join CHUSA, must 
submit a Letter of Intent to join as a Tier 1 CHUSA community. To be 
considered eligible, the Letter of Intent must thoroughly address the 
Required Levels of Engagement for Tier 1 as outlined in the prior 
Notice.
    There is no Congressional funding for CHUSA; the program 
implementation is contingent upon HUD resources such as staffing and 
technical assistance. As this expansion proceeds, HUD will continue to 
assess community interest and the availability of HUD staffing 
resources to support participation by additional communities. HUD will 
also assess the effectiveness of the selection criteria within the 
three tiers on an ongoing basis. Such assessment may expand the number 
of participating communities, revise the selection criteria, or both to 
reflect HUD's experience in implementing CHUSA.

II. Support for Applicants

    A webinar explaining the application process can be viewed at 
https://www.hudexchange.info/trainings/courses/steps-for-applying-to-join-the-connecthomeusa-expansion/. A Frequently Asked Questions 
document and other guidance is also available on HUD's ConnectHomeUSA 
at https://hud.gov/connecthomeusa. If applicants have additional 
questions, the HUD CHUSA team is available to assist. Questions can be 
addressed to: [email protected].

Dominique Blom,
General Deputy Assistant Secretary--Public and Indian Housing.
[FR Doc. 2024-03881 Filed 2-26-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4210-67-P