Faster Florida Broadband Summit

Biden-Harris Administration Announces State Allocations for $42.45 Billion High-Speed Internet Grant Program as Part of Investing in America Agenda. More than $1 Billion is allocated directly to the Florida Office of Broadband. Visit the new Funding Recipient section to learn more

To learn more see the press release at internetforall.gov

Welcome to the Florida Local Technology Planning Team. NDM Support, along with our partners, has been developing the Tampa Bay market since 1987. Our primary focus is on Hillsborough County and Pasco County. This new announcement from the Biden-Harris administration is very exciting for the Faster Florida Broadband office, for the technology planners in each county and for all Florida residents.

You are welcome to participate in our Weekly Forum. The Local Technology Planning Teams for Hillsborough County and Pasco County have an Open Source Video Call scheduled each week. All of our Florida teams are here to support your move into the 21st Century.

FloridaCommerce hosted the inaugural Florida Broadband Summit on September 21-22, 2023, at the Rosen Shingle Creek in Orlando, Florida.

This event brought together more than 300 broadband industry professionals, local government officials, workforce and economic development professionals, and community organizations to share information and discuss the expansion and adoption of broadband across the state and how these services impact Florida's economy.

Jeanette Nuñez, Katie Smith, and Pedro Allende were the speakers.

Florida Strategic Plan for Broadband

The Florida Broadband Strategic Plan lays out the vision of the Florida Office of Broadband, the roles for state and local participants, and the strategies to undertake as Florida works towards a fully connected citizenry, both economically and socially.

Watch the complete video on The Florida Channel online.

Application Portal for Broadband Funding

The Application Portal for Broadband Funding will be used when applying for any funding program within the Florida Office of Broadband. If you are already a member, please sign in to enter the application portal. If you are not yet a member, please click "not a member" and proceed with creating an account. Remember, when registering, your username must be your full email address. This email will be used to enter the application portal when applying for any broadband funding.

Directives

Under sections 288.9961, 288.9962, and 288.9963, Florida Statutes, the Florida Office of Broadband is responsible for:

Developing, marketing and promoting broadband internet services in the state; Creating a strategic plan to increase the use of broadband internet services in the state; Reviewing and verifying public input regarding transmission speeds and availability of broadband internet services throughout the state; Building and facilitating local technology planning teams or partnerships; and Participating in the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) proceedings that are related to the geographic availability and deployment of broadband internet in Florida.

Establishing the Broadband Opportunity Program and rulemaking for the program to award grants to applicants who seek to expand broadband to unserved areas (subject to appropriations).

Developing a map of broadband internet service availability throughout the state.

Local Technology Planning Teams

Section 288.9961(4)(b), Florida Statutes, directs the Florida Office of Broadband to build and facilitate local technology planning teams representing cross-sections of the community, which may include, but are not limited to, representatives from the following organizations and industries:

Libraries; K-12 education; colleges and universities; local health care providers; private businesses; community organizations; economic development organizations; local governments; tourism; parks and recreation; and agriculture.

For more information, please visit the Florida Office of Broadband Local Technology Planning Teams webpage.

Broadband Timeline

In September 2023, the launch of the first annual Florida Broadband Summit with over 300 participants.

In July 2023, the Governor announced more than $247 million through the Capital Projects Fund Broadband Infrastructure Program. Connecting more than 59,000 unserved and underserved businesses, homes, farms and anchor institutions like hospitals and libraries to high-speed Internet. Infrastructure deployment through 63 strategic projects in 43 Florida counties ensures that Florida residents have reliable and efficient access to workforce, education and health monitoring opportunities for generations to come.

In June 2023, the Department partnered with Guidehouse to host two Broadband Public Workshops in Manatee and Duval counties.

In May 2023, the Department announced $60 million was awarded for 22 projects in 19 counties through the Broadband Opportunity Program impacting 58,000 unserved residential, educational, business, and community locations.

In May 2023, the Department announced $133 million in finding was available for broadband Internet projects in the second application cycle through the Broadband Opportunity Program.

In April 2023. The Department announced that the deadline to apply for funding through the Broadband Infrastructure Program was extended.

In April 2023, The Department announced $22 million for 8 counties and 8 projects through the Broadband Opportunity Program impacting 33,200 unserved residential, educational, business, and community locations.

In February 2023, Governor Ron DeSantis announced the first set of awards through the Broadband Opportunity Grant Program. More than $144 million was awarded for 58 projects in 41 Florida counties for broadband Internet expansion that impacted nearly 160,000 unserved residential, educational, business, and community locations.

In July 2023, the Department partnered with Guidehouse to host four Broadband Public Workshops in Taylor, Gulf, Collier and Miami-Dade counties, and three statewide webinars on broadband availability, accessibility, adoption and use.

In November 2022, the Florida Office of Broadband received $247.8 million from the U.S. Treasury for the Capital Projects Fund Broadband Infrastructure Program. The Office was also awarded $2.4 million for their Digital Equity Planning Grant, as well as $5 million for the BEAD 5-year action plan.

In November 2022, the final rule for the Broadband Opportunity Program became effective.

In October 2022,the Florida Office of Broadband filed the final rule package to JAPC and updated the Office website with information on the Broadband Opportunity Program, including program guidelines, frequently asked questions, and information on the technical assistance walk though webinars.

In September 2022, FloridaCommerce posted the final application and scoring and evaluation criteria for the Broadband Opportunity Program to the website. DEO also Published the Notice of Proposed Rule in the Florida Administrative Weekly.

In August 2022, FloridaCommerce hosted three regional workshops (Bartow in Polk County on August 22, Milton in Santa Rosa County on August 25, and Moore Haven in Glades County on August 29, 2022) to receive community input on rulemaking for the implementation of the $400 million Broadband Opportunity Program.

In June 2022, FloridaCommerce submitted the Florida Strategic Plan for Broadband to the Governor, the Speaker of the House, and the President of the Senate. The Florida Strategic Plan for Broadband lays out the vision of the Florida Office of Broadband, the roles for state and local participants, and the strategies to undertake as Florida works toward a fully connected citizenry, both economically and socially.

In June 2022, FloridaCommerce published the Faster Florida Broadband Map, which identifies census blocks as unserved, underserved, served, and no fixed internet service as defined in Section 288.9961, Florida Statutes. The map also identifies Florida geographic boundaries, community anchor institutions, grant funding opportunities, and information on the speed tests taken through the Florida Broadband Availability Map.

In December 2021, FloridaCommerce published Florida’s Broadband Availability Map to identify where broadband-capable networks exist, where service is available to end users, gaps in rural areas, and download and upload speeds. FloridaCommerce continues to collect data from Floridians on their availability and accessibility of broadband Internet to be added to the map through its Broadband Internet Speed Test.

In September 2021, FloridaCommerce launched the Local Technology Planning Team initiative using the Broadband Planning Toolkit developed by the Florida Office of Broadband. Local Technology Planning Teams are tasked with working within their communities to understand their current broadband availability, locate unserved and underserved businesses and residents, identify assets relevant to broadband deployment, build partnerships with broadband service providers, and identify opportunities to leverage assets and reduce barriers to the deployment of broadband Internet services in the community.

In February 2021, FloridaCommerce partnered with the Florida Regional Councils Association to host 10 virtual workshops where participants discussed broadband internet accessibility. Industry sector and community leaders within each region were invited to participate. These industry sectors included education, healthcare, private business, community organizations, agriculture, tourism, parks and recreation, economic development, local governments, and internet service providers.

During Florida’s 2021 Legislative session, House Bill 1239 passed and provided an allocation of $1.5 million to develop geographic information system (GIS) maps of Florida’s currently availability of broadband internet service.

In July 2020, the Florida Office of Broadband was established within FloridaCommerce’s Division of Community Development to increase the availability and effectiveness of broadband internet throughout the state. The amendment of Section 288.9961, Florida Statutes, and creation of Sections 288.9962 and 288.9963, Florida Statutes, provides FloridaCommerce access to federal grant dollars and assists rural communities with the expansion of broadband services, as well as provides directives for broadband mapping and the Broadband Opportunity Program.

Florida's Broadband Availability Map and Internet Speed Test

The Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) has developed Florida’s Broadband Availability Map to identify broadband internet service availability throughout the state. The Broadband Availability Map identifies a location’s speed, connectivity, and access to broadband services. These insights allow the state of Florida to better identify and reach unserved and underserved areas of the state. The map will be an asset to local communities and internet service providers to assist with broadband planning efforts.

As part of DEO’s efforts to encourage public participation collaboration and ensure a high level of transparency, the Florida Broadband Availability Map will be continuously updated on this webpage. Please note that the map is not complete and will continue to be updated as more data is added and changes in broadband availability are identified.

DEO is enlisting the help of the public to take an internet speed test to assist in further developing Florida's Broadband Availability Map. Your participation will help the state of Florida identify gaps in high-speed internet service in order to advance the state’s overall broadband infrastructure expansion goals. Using your internet connection, the speed test will measure the speed of internet transmission between your device and an outside server.

The speed test can be completed using any device that has an internet or cellular connection and takes less than one minute to complete. After taking the speed test, you will receive immediate results from your test. Results will populate the map once you complete the speed test and will include your download, upload, latency, and ping speeds. The data collected from your internet’s speed test will be displayed on the Florida Broadband Availability Map in real time.

Florida Broadband Office Public Workshop

The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity is holding a series of public meetings and webinars to hear directly from Floridians about barriers to accessing broadband Internet service. The meetings and webinars will focus on discussing our goal to ensure all Florida communities can easily access Internet service, online devices, and digital skills training.

These sessions will help inform Florida’s Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Five-Year Action Plan and Digital Adoption and Use Plan.

For Florida Office of Broadband questions, please call 850-717-8445 or email [email protected]

For the Faster Florida Support Help Center, please call 813-990-0440

Everything Geeks, 813-993-4999

Source floridajobs.org/community-planning-and-development/broadband/office-of-broadband

Source deosera.force.com/OfficeofBroadband