Guide to Local Recovery Update: August 24
The National League of Cities is hosting a series of technical assistance “boot camps” to help small and mid-sized cities take full advantage of the grants available through the federal infrastructure package. Additionally, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration is holding a series of “office hour” webinars for a key broadband program and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently released new guidance on lead service line inventory. The Affordable Connectivity Program is also still open to qualified households.
Informational webinar on infrastructure boot camp scheduled for Aug. 25
The Local Infrastructure Hub, a partnership between the National League of Cities (NLC) and other civic organizations, is launching a series of technical assistance “boot camps” for small and mid-sized cities. The boot camps are designed to help cities with populations under 150,000 develop strong applications for federal infrastructure grant opportunities.
NLC is hosting an informational webinar about the program on Aug. 25 at noon. Registration for the first five boot camp trainings closes Aug. 31.
Broadband agency to hold open “office hours” for federal grant program
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration is holding a series of open-ended “office hour” webinars for the Enabling Middle Mile Broadband Infrastructure Program. In many communities, a lack of middle-mile infrastructure — the connection between small, local networks and larger, high-capacity networks — makes high-speed, reliable broadband unavailable or prohibitively expensive.
During office hour sessions, agency staff and subject matter experts will answer questions from all prospective applicants with the intent to prepare them to write high-quality applications. Each session will focus on a different stakeholder group. Local and regional government webinars will be held Aug. 30 and Sept. 1.
Federal broadband subsidies still available
The Affordable Connectivity Program is still open to qualified households. The federally funded initiative provides a $30 monthly discount on home internet and a one-time discount of up to $100 for a computer or a tablet. Depending on their plans, consumers could receive home internet at no cost.
The program is open to households at or below 200% of the federal poverty guidelines — $53,000 for a family of four or less — as well as families participating in certain state and federal programs, such as CalFresh, Lifeline, Pell Grant, and Tribal TANF.
Applications can be completed online, by phone, or via mail. Subsidies for participating households are paid directly to broadband providers, who then discount subscribers’ monthly bills. A database of participating providers is available.
EPA releases guidance on lead pipe inventories
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released guidance about developing and maintaining a lead service line inventory, which all community water systems must complete by Oct. 16, 2024. The EPA has harmonized the new regulatory requirements with the Infrastructure and Investments Jobs Act Law to help spur lead removal. An overview of the guidance was provided during a recorded, Aug. 10 webinar.
Resources and webinars from NLC
NLC is hosting an Aug. 25 webinar on the federal limited Public Service Loan Forgiveness waiver. The webinar will provide an overview of the program, the role employers play, and overall best practices. The federal government loosened the program’s restrictions last October.
In Jan. 2021, only 7,000 borrowers had seen their loans forgiven under the program. Today, more than 170,000 public servants were approved for more than $9 billion in loan forgiveness, making it a critical tool for retaining employees. Borrowers will need to act by Oct. 31, 2022.
NLC, along with the U.S. Department of Energy, will also explore several notable energy efficiency, renewable energy, and greenhouse gas reduction grant programs during an upcoming Ready to Rebuild webinar. Previous Ready to Rebuild webinars are available to watch on demand.
Additionally, NLC released an overview of how cities are responding to the Monkeypox virus. Many of these programs build on previous responses to the COVID-19 pandemic.
City officials looking for additional information about the American Rescue Plan Act, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, or additional recovery tools can visit the Cal Cities Guide to Local Recovery portal.