NTIA is pleased to announce it has completed making 46 grant awards under the State and Local Implementation Grant Program (SLIGP) 2.0, which will help states and territories prepare for FirstNet's buildout of the nationwide public safety broadband network. NTIA announced the initial awards on March 1, 2018, to 12 states, and continued making additional SLIGP 2.0 grants in March and April.
The grants are an outgrowth of The Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012, which directed NTIA to establish a grant program to assist states and territories with planning for FirstNet, a nationwide wireless broadband network for public safety that that launched last year under the leadership of Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross. Between July 2013 and June 2014, NTIA awarded $116.5 million in grants to 54 U.S. states and territories to consult with FirstNet and perform outreach to public safety stakeholders.
The original grants expired February 28, 2018, and many recipients spent less than expected, leaving leftover funds. NTIA's SLIGP 2.0 program used the leftover funds for a second round of grants to allow for a broader range of planning activities, such as assisting state, local and tribal governments in developing data sharing agreements, helping with the transition of public safety applications to the national public safety broadband network, analyzing coverage gaps, and convening stakeholder meetings at FirstNet's request.
NTIA is providing an initial increment of funding in the first nine months of the SLIGP 2.0 program and a second increment for the next 15 months. The initial funding totaled $12.6 million, while the second funding increment, expected to be disbursed in the last quarter of calendar year 2018, will deliver another $20 to $22 million to these same grant awards.
Every state and territory that sought a SLIGP 2.0 grant was awarded funding but some states did not apply for follow-up grants. The following SLIGP 2.0 grant recipients were awarded after March 1. The amounts reflect the initial funding; additional funds will be awarded based on availability.
The SLIGP 2.0 grant awards will enable public safety entities and personnel across the nation to continue working with FirstNet as it implements the nationwide public safety broadband network.