224A.117 Kentucky BEAD Grant Program -- Purpose -- Powers of office --
548 words·~2 min read·
/ky/224a-117A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.
Application of federal law -- Grantee applications for funding.
(1)The Kentucky BEAD Grant Program is hereby established for the purpose of
defraying eligible expenses associated with projects intended to provide broadband
service to unserved and underserved areas of the Commonwealth, and, to the extent
funding is available, for certain nondeployment purposes allowable under federal
law. This program shall be the exclusive means of distributing BEAD Program
money to Kentucky applicants.
(2)The office is hereby authorized, consistent with the requirements of this section, to
administer the Kentucky BEAD Grant Program. It shall have all power necessary
and convenient, not explicitly prohibited or reserved by statute, to carry out and
effectuate its purposes, including the powers to:
(a)Develop and submit BEAD Program funding requests to the administration or
other responsible federal entities;
(b)Conduct a challenge process consistent with federal requirements to identify
Kentucky locations eligible for funding;
(c)Develop an application process for applications for funding from the
Kentucky BEAD Grant Program, including the requirements for the
applications, in a manner that does not violate the prohibition in KRS
278.5462(1);
(d)Determine eligibility criteria for prospective subgrantees and projects;
(e)Create rules governing the review process and timeline for applications and
challenges to those applications;
(f)Make administrative rules necessary for the achievement of the goals of the
Kentucky BEAD Grant Program;
(g)Coordinate and partner with local governments or private entities as
necessary;
(h)Determine which grant applications should receive funding and disburse those
grants from the BEAD fund established in KRS 224A.118;
(i)Enter into contracts or agreements necessary or incidental to the performance
of its duties, functions, and responsibilities;
(j)Notwithstanding KRS 45A.190, require applicants to submit letters of credit,
bonds, or other reasonable means of assuring project completion it deems
appropriate and necessary, including giving full effect to the guidance from
the administration by allowing the office to provide grantees a range of
options to satisfy this paragraph;
(k)If funding is available after identifying and funding BEAD Program
deployment projects, identify and fund nondeployment projects consistent
with federal law;
(l)Oversee and administer reporting and compliance under grants made under
the Kentucky BEAD Grant Program consistent with federal law; and
(m)Act as otherwise necessary to pursue the goals of the Kentucky BEAD Grant
Program.
(3)Except where explicitly stated otherwise, all terms in this section shall have the
same meaning as provided in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Pub. L.
No. 117-58, and in the Notice of Funding Opportunity for the BEAD Program
published by the administration on May 13, 2022, including any subsequent
guidance issued by the administration with respect to the program after the issuance
of the Notice of Funding Opportunity. In the event of any conflict between this
section and legal requirements contained in the federal law, the federal law shall
take precedence. To the extent this chapter conflicts with any other provision of the
Kentucky Revised Statutes, this chapter prevails.
(4)The office shall ensure that applications contain sufficient information to allow the
office to reasonably evaluate each grantee's ability to comply with all program
requirements, including all grantee qualifications and conditions required under
federal law.
(5)KRS 224A.1121 shall not apply to the Kentucky BEAD Grant Program as
contained in KRS 224A.115 to 224A.118.