Specifications include, but are not limited to: •Broadband services to unserved and underserved areas of unincorporated Tippecanoe County that will reliably meet or exceed 250 Mbps download and upload speeds. ARPA sets minimum standards for broadband at 100 Mbps upload and download speeds or, if such speeds are not feasible, 100 Mbps download and 20 Mbps upload speeds, scalable to 100 Mbps upload speeds in the future. Tippecanoe County anticipates speeds higher than the ARPA minimums are desirable and achievable. Proposals at or above ARPA minimums will be entertained. However, for proposals with symmetrical speeds less than 250 Mbps, the Applicant should discuss why speeds of 250 Mbps or above are not achievable or desirable. •Direct financial contribution by Tippecanoe County of up to fourteen million eight hundred and five thousand dollars ($14,805,000). ARPA is the source of the funds. Proposals must be designed around ARPA requirements. •Successful applicants will demonstrate a clear and achievable plan to deliver high-speed, reliable, and affordable broadband communication services in unserved and underserved areas. The United States Department of Treasury Final Rule defines “underserved areas” as those with an identified need for additional broadband infrastructure investment. These are areas without access to adequate speeds, affordable options, or where connections are inconsistent or unreliable •Per Treasury guidance, support for broadband infrastructure owned, operated, or affiliated with local governments, nonprofits, and cooperatives is to be prioritized. 87 Fed. Reg. 4418. •Per Treasury guidance, broadband services provided to households must participate in the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), or otherwise provide access to a broad-based affordability program to low-income consumers in the proposed service area of the broadband infrastructure that provides benefits to households commensurate with those provided under the ACP. 87 Fed. Reg. 4418.
