Can I Finance Upgrade Program Equipment

Why does the Upgrade Program only award funds on a reimbursement basis?

The law that established the Upgrade Program states that NTIA payments are reimbursements for equipment required to upgrade a station from analog to digital broadcasting. This means that you must pay for project equipment before submitting your application for Upgrade Program funds. [see Pub. L. No. 109–171, Section 3009(a)]

What documents do I need to submit to receive a reimbursement grant?

You must submit documents showing that you paid for all of the project equipment. These documents could include the copies of cancelled checks, billing statements from vendors showing zero balances, or notations on invoices such as “paid by check number xxxx” with your signature. You must also submit (1) the Upgrade Program application form, (2) copies of the station’s FCC analog and digital authorizations, and (3) coverage population data (the Upgrade Program website provides this information for most stations.)

Can I get a loan to purchase project equipment and repay the loan with grant funds?

You may get a loan to purchase project equipment and be eligible to receive a reimbursement subject to compliance with two Department of Commerce conditions. First, because the Department of Commerce prohibits any encumbrance or lien on the equipment funded by the grant, you cannot use the equipment in the project for which you are requesting reimbursement as collateral to secure a loan.

Second, you cannot transfer, pledge, mortgage, or otherwise assign the grant award funds to another party before you receive the grant. Once you receive an Upgrade Program grant, you may use the funds to pay off a loan.

What documents do I need to keep?

You must keep all grant related documents, including documents regarding the financing, purchase, and payment for project equipment, for three years after receipt of an award and make those documents available for audit by the Department of Commerce or other appropriate federal agency.

April 28, 2011: Change in Final Closing Date and Census Information

On April 28, 2011, a Notice of Final Closing Date for Receipt of Applications and a Change in the Census Database was published in the Federal Register.

NTIA will continue to process applications received by the first business day of each month as long as funds are available (Closing Dates), but announces the LAST CLOSING DATE AS: 5:00 PM MONDAY, JULY 2, 2012. NTIA must receive the final applications by JULY 2, 2012, so applications can be processed and payments authorized before the September 30, 2012, statutory end of the program.

The Notice further announces that NTIA will use population data from the newly available 2010 U.S. Census for applications received AFTER JULY 1, 2011, in determining whether a facility meets the rurality eligibility requirement of the Upgrade Program. Applications submitted up to and including July 1, 2011, can continue to use the population reported in the 2000 Census.

After July 1, 2011, population figures from the 2000 Census will continue to be available at the “Apply for Funds” link on this page and may be used as a preliminary guide to determine eligibility. Almost all stations with an NTIA calculated population of less than 20,000 persons using the 2000 Census data should continue to be eligible for the Program.

NTIA will provide 2010 census population figures for any facility that requests such information. After July 1, 2011, potential applicants requesting this information must follow the following procedure.

Email a request to ldyer@ntia.doc.gov NO PHONE requests can be honored. The email must include the FCC facility ID number and call letters of the ANALOG facility being upgraded.

For applications submitted after July 1, 2011, applicants may also use the other methods of determining eligibility discussed in the Notice of Availability of Funds and Program Guidelines (Upgrade Program NOFA),74 Fed. Reg. 22402 (May 12, 2009), so long as those methods rely on 2010 Census data

All other requirements for the Upgrade Program remain unchanged as set forth in the Upgrade Program NOFA.

The Upgrade Program will reimburse the eligible costs to upgrade analog low‑power television broadcast stations, Class A television stations, television translator stations, and television booster stations in rural communities to digital transmission.

Eligible stations must be broadcasting a licensed digital signal before applying for a grant.

Eligible stations can apply for reimbursement(s), up to $6,000 to refit analog equipment for digital transmission or up to $20,000 to replace analog equipment with digital equipment, to upgrade low-power stations in eligible rural communities from analog to digital.

Click here for List of Equipment Eligible for Reimbursement

NTIA is now accepting applications from eligible stations.

Applications are due the first business day of each month for as long as funds are available.