Welcome to the Broadband USA Mapping Tool homepage! This tool serves two purposes. First, this tool will be used by those applying for Last Mile and Middle Mile funding under the Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP). This tool will also be used by RUS to post a Public Notice of the proposed funded Service Area(s) for each Last Mile and Middle Mile BIP applicant and can be used by existing service providers to submit information regarding their service offerings.

The Public Notice Filings (PNFs) will provide a 30-day period for existing service providers to submit information to RUS regarding their existing service offerings. RUS will post PNFs for all Round 2 BIP Infrastructure Applications shortly after the application window closes. Providing a response is strictly voluntary. Existing service providers are not required to provide a response to any Public Notice Filing, but must do so in order for their existing services to be considered when determining the eligibility of the proposed funded Service Areas identified in the associated BIP application. Any respondent wishing to submit a Public Notice Response must do so through the Broadband USA Mapping Tool. RUS will not accept paper submissions of responses; any paper submissions will be returned.

Those applicants that applied during the first round of BIP funding will notice that RUS has made a number of system enhancements to the Broadband USA Mapping Tool. In addition, the Mapping Tool has been upgraded to reflect changes made in the NOFA for the second round of BIP funding. Due to requirement changes from the first round, no maps started prior to the opening of the application window for the second round of funding will be accepted.

Changes in the NOFA for this round of funding do not allow funds to go into areas which were: 1) funded by either BIP or BTOP in the first round, and 2) funded by the RUS Broadband or Infrastructure programs (provided the existing RUS borrower is providing service at 768 Kbps/200 Kbps or higher). Applicants should refer to the key in the mapping tool to see approved ARRA projects. The approved layer is being updated as awards are being made, and applicants are responsible for monitoring changes in this layer up to the time their application is submitted. To check communities served by existing RUS borrowers, please click on the “Community Search Tool” choice on the menu bar above.

In order to use this tool to create a map of your proposed funded Service Area(s) or to file a response to a published PNF, you must register for an eAuthentication ID with Level 1 access. If you have already registered, please login. If you have not already registered, please click the “Register” button below.

* If using Internet Explorer, you may need to add http://*.broadbandusa.gov to the Trusted Sites to display map information layers. See Help for instructions on adding this to your Trusted Sites.

* Depending upon browser/version used, you may need to modify your browser’s Internet settings in order to utilize the copy/paste to transfer data to ApplyOnline. See Help for instructions on modifying Internet settings.

For assistance with this Mapping Tool website or if you experience technical difficulties, please contact the Broadband USA Help Desk by phone at 1-877-508-8364 or by email at BroadbandUSA@usda.gov.