Section 77-5-905 - Purpose of projects applied for by electric cooperatives or broadband providers; identification of unserved or underserved census blocks; electric cooperative's projects to be considered pilot or special purpose projects; applicants receiving grant monies to provide matching dollar for dollar nongrant monies toward projects(1) From the date of the beginning of the period for applications for grants under this section, the Staff shall consider and review applications from any eligible applicant. Any project applied for by an electric cooperative must be for the purpose of the electric cooperative immediately installing broadband fiber on its electric delivery system and thereby facilitating the provision of broadband services by its broadband affiliate or an unaffiliated broadband provider. Any project applied for by a broadband provider must be for the purpose of the broadband provider's delivery of broadband services. All projects under each of the Grant Programs must be designed to immediately provide increased broadband services to an area or areas that have been determined by the Public Utilities Staff to be unserved or underserved according to the latest publicly available Federal Communications Commission broadband data. Under this article, electric cooperatives may only apply for and receive grants under the Cooperative Program, and broadband providers may only apply for and receive grants under the General Program.(2) As to each of those specific Mississippi counties for which such information is requested by an electric cooperative or broadband provider, the Public Utilities Staff shall, by no later than July 10, 2020, specifically identify census blocks that are unserved or underserved according to the latest publicly available Federal Communications Commission broadband data. In order to create efficiencies in the administration of the Grant Programs and avoid the imposition of undue and unnecessary burdens on the Staff, a single electric cooperative or broadband provider may not request such information for more than three (3) counties and any requests for such information must be submitted to the Staff by no later than the close of business on July 7, 2020. The Staff shall provide its identification of such census blocks directly to the department and to each electric cooperative and broadband provider requesting the Staff for such information, and also provide such information to the public through a posting on the Public Utilities Staff's website. Each applicant shall rely on the Public Utilities Staff's identification of unserved and underserved census blocks in making its application(s) for grant funds and spending awarded grant funds.(3) In an attempt to facilitate broader participation in the Cooperative Program, an electric cooperative's project or projects, for which grant monies are provided under this article, shall be considered pilot or special purpose projects and shall not obligate the electric cooperative receiving the grant monies or such electric cooperative's broadband affiliate to provide broadband access to the entire service area of the electric cooperative.(4) For each dollar of grant monies requested for a project or projects by an applicant, the applicant must commit and spend a dollar of nongrant monies toward such project or projects. Universal Service Fund, Connect America Fund, or other grants awarded for broadband expansion through a separate state or federal program shall not be used for the required matching funds, but this limitation shall not include or extend to any loans of any kind. The primary application made by an applicant shall be for a grant totaling not more than Six Million Dollars ($6,000,000.00).(5) An applicant submitting a primary application may also submit a secondary application at the same time or soon thereafter with no maximum to the amount of grant monies that may be requested. The department shall first obligate all primary applications made that meet the eligibility criteria and are approved by the Staff. Then, if grant monies are still available the department shall consider and obligate any secondary applications that meet the eligibility criteria and are approved by the Staff. During the secondary application process, if one (1) of the grant funds has unobligated monies remaining after all qualifying secondary applications are considered, then the State Fiscal Officer shall transfer those unobligated monies into the other grant fund for distribution in the secondary application process of such other grant fund.(6) From and after September 1, 2020, an electric cooperative may submit a tertiary application for the Mississippi Electric Cooperatives Broadband COVID-19 Grant Program with no maximum amount of grant monies that may be requested. During the tertiary application process, if one (1) of the grant funds has unobligated monies remaining after all qualifying applications have been considered, then the State Fiscal Officer shall transfer those unobligated monies into the other grant fund for distribution in the tertiary application process.(7) Any grant monies provided under this article shall be spent no later than December 30, 2020, or by such later date as may be specified in the guidelines, guidance, rules, regulations and/or other criteria of the United States Department of the Treasury regarding the use of monies from the Coronavirus Relief Fund established in Section 5001 of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.Amended by Laws, 2020, ch. 495, SB 3054,§ 1, (became law without the Governor's signature on September 1, 2020).Added by Laws, 2020, ch. 487, SB 3046,§ 4, (became law without the Governor's signature on July 9, 2020).