1739.12—Eligible grant purposes.
Grant funds may be used to finance:
(a)
The construction, acquisition, or leasing of facilities, including spectrum, to deploy Broadband Transmission Service to all participating Critical Community Facilities and all required facilities needed to offer such service to residential and business customers located within the proposed Service Area;
(b)
The improvement, expansion, construction, or acquisition of a Community Center that furnishes free access to broadband Internet service, provided that the Community Center is open and accessible to area residents before, during, and after normal working hours and on Saturday or Sunday. Grant funds provided for such costs shall not exceed the greater of five percent (5%) of the grant amount requested or $100,000;
(d)
(1)
Operating expenses incurred in providing Broadband Transmission Service to Critical Community Facilities for the first 2 years of operation and in providing training and instruction. In order to qualify as eligible costs for grant coverage or as matching fund contributions, operating expenses for providing broadband transmission service to Critical Community Facilities must:
(i)
Be incurred for the purpose of providing broadband service to the Critical Community Facilities and be for costs incurred during the first two years of operation; and
(2)
The operating costs to be funded by the grant or used as matching contributions cannot exceed in the aggregate $250,000. No other operating expenses are eligible for grant funding or to be considered as matching funds; and