ConnectALL’s Municipal Infrastructure Program

ConnectALL’s Municipal Infrastructure Program is a large-scale funding initiative administered by the State of New York through ConnectALL, designed to expand publicly controlled broadband infrastructure across New York State. The initiative is funded by the U.S. Department of the Treasury under the American Rescue Plan’s Capital Projects Fund, with a total program budget of $295.3 million. The primary aim of the program is to support the construction of open access municipal broadband networks that can deliver affordable, high-quality internet service to underserved or unserved areas. The program encourages public ownership or public control of infrastructure, while facilitating partnerships between eligible public entities and private sector broadband providers. The program is built upon pilot projects that demonstrated the feasibility and benefits of publicly-owned open access fiber optic networks. These pilots highlighted the capacity of municipalities to implement infrastructure that supports multiple Internet Service Providers (ISPs), thus promoting competition and consumer choice. The ConnectALL Municipal Infrastructure Program invites municipalities, Tribal Nations, local and state authorities, not-for-profits, and other eligible entities to propose broadband deployment projects. The infrastructure must remain open to ISPs, which are encouraged to use the network to offer a range of internet services to New Yorkers. Eligible public applicants include municipalities (cities, towns, villages, counties), Tribal Nations, entities formed under Section 99-y of the New York State General Municipal Law, nonprofit organizations, and regional planning boards. Additionally, municipal utilities and utility cooperatives are eligible to apply. These public applicants may apply independently or in partnership with private sector entities such as Internet Service Providers, Managed Service Providers, and broadband infrastructure builders or owners. The program emphasizes public-private partnership models that ensure long-term public benefit and accountability. Applications for Phase 4 of the program initially opened on March 27, 2025, with a first deadline of April 25, 2025. The application window was later reopened on January 12, 2026, and ConnectALL began reviewing submissions on a rolling basis starting February 2, 2026. The final deadline for Phase 4 applications is April 30, 2026, at 11:59PM ET, with submissions required via the New York State Consolidated Funding Application (CFA) Portal. According to U.S. Department of the Treasury guidelines, funded infrastructure must be “substantially complete,” meaning fully operational, by December 31, 2026. ConnectALL reserves the right to issue additional phases or adjust the timeline to meet program goals. Applicants must adhere to the application process outlined in the program's Request for Applications (RFA), including reviewing the detailed Municipal Infrastructure Program Guidelines, application instructions, and checklist. Updated application templates and a Q&A document are also provided. Several information sessions and webinars have been held to support applicants, including the April 3, 2025 Information Session and the October 2025 webinar co-hosted with Southern Tier Network. For questions related to the program, applicants should contact [email protected]. Applicants should prepare to submit all required documentation through the CFA portal by the April 30, 2026 deadline. Award announcements and funding distributions will proceed according to ConnectALL and Treasury timelines. The program has previously awarded substantial funding, including $140 million in November 2024 to bring broadband to over 60,000 locations and an additional $70 million in July 2024.