Full and Competitive Application Scoring Criteria

The State of Mississippi will award grants to projects that provide the highest return in providing access to unserved and underserved areas and meet all the grant requirements.

Applications will be evaluated against the merit review criteria shown below. All sub-criteria are of equal weight. These criteria reflect information requested in the grant application portal and are consistent with Mississippi law and guidance for the Coronavirus Capital Projects Fund issued by the U.S. Department of the Treasury.

A total of 325 points are possible.

Item 1: Project Description (0 to 5 points)

• Sufficiency of detail in the application is necessary to assess whether the proposed solution achieves the program goals.
• Adequate description of the project being middle mile, last mile, and/or fiber to the premises is required.
• The degree to which the descriptions are clear, detailed, and reasonable will result in a high likelihood that the proposed scope of work will succeed in meeting the program goals.
• Demonstration of overall project readiness is necessary. Examples include engineering and design plans, secured financing, permits and/or approvals secured or in place, and evidence that the applicant can manage and operate the project.
• Detailed engineering design and a project area map are required. Details regarding the technology, design, and network routes should be included.
  • Clear, detailed boundaries of the project area with markings for passings should be indicated.
  • FCC Fabric locations must be clearly marked within project areas.
  • A clear, detailed network route map that is consistent with route miles is also necessary.
• Professional engineering certification is required as a threshold factor.

Item 2: Schedule (0 to 20 Points)

Demonstration of a thorough and complete project schedule, including each necessary task to move from preliminary design to construction and finalize close-out, is required to ensure completion by the end of the calendar year 2026. A Gantt chart should be uploaded to illustrate the project timeline.

Item 3: Readiness (0 to 10 points) 

Have all necessary rights of way and easements been acquired? Please provide documentation that is sufficient to establish this has been achieved.

Item 4: Technology (0 to 25 points) 

Under Item I, Award Terms and Conditions, Part C, Project Eligibility, subsection a, Presumptively Eligible Projects, the Treasury Department specifies that projects must provide 100/100 symmetrical speed with a preference for fiber. However, if it would be impracticable, because of geography, topography, or excessive cost, for a Broadband Infrastructure Project to be designed to deliver services at such a speed, the Project must be designed so that it reliably meets or exceeds 100 Mbps download speeds and between 20 Mbps and 100 Mbps upload speeds, and be scalable to a minimum of 100 Mbps symmetrical for download and upload speeds.

Technologies such as Fixed Wireless, Cable, GPON, and XPON may be used to achieve these speeds.

Item 5: Regulatory Compliance (0 to 30 points) 

The Treasury Department requires that all projects be completed prior to the end of the calendar year 2026. Experience with federal requirements, including but not limited to NEPA and federal and state procurement requirements, is important.

Does the proposed project require any of the following permit types (or others), and can you provide the status of each?

• City Road 
• County Road 
• State-Aid Road 
• State Highway 
• Federal Highway 
• Interstate 
• Railroad 
• Wetlands 
• National Forest 
• State Forest 
• River 
• Navigable Waterway Levee 
• Culturally Sensitive Area 
• Storm Water 
• Army Corp of Engineers 
• US Geological Survey 
• Bureau of Land Management 
• Conservation & Preservation 
• Endangered Species 
• Other

The capability of the applicant and the proposed team to address all aspects of the proposed work with a high probability of success. This includes evaluating the qualifications, relevant expertise, and time commitment of the individuals on the team.

The availability of the entity's most recent audit and access to the CPA firm conducting the audit is also important. Additionally, the applicant should have sufficient capacity to handle customer installations and service issues.

The prior track record of purchasing, utilizing federal and state procurement guidelines, should be considered. The availability and sufficiency of the facilities and equipment to support the work and any proposed workforce contracted to complete the project should also be evaluated.

The reasonableness of the budget for the proposed project and objectives should be assessed, as well as the demonstrated financial capacity to complete the proposed project scope. The applicant should provide evidence of experience with federal or state procurement guidelines.

Item 6: Project Impact (0 to 20 points)

• Extent to which the applicant provided evidence that the proposed project is for an area served at speeds lower than actual 25 Mbps downstream;
• The impact of the project on advancing economic development within the proposed project area, including agribusiness, other at-home businesses, and telework; and
  • Number of Residents: ability to telework, remote learning engagement, new housing starts, etc.
  • Number of Businesses: degree of competitiveness, market expansion, workforce development, job creation, attracting new business establishments, etc.
  • Number of Farmers and agricultural use customers: farming efficiency and productivity, new applications for precision agriculture, etc.
  • Number of Connected institutions: enhancement to capabilities to execute mission in more effective and efficient manner (across schools, libraries, hospitals, clinics, social service centers, community gathering centers, etc.)
  • Other: public safety improvements; other complementary infrastructure improvements; etc.
• Economic impact: workforce training and development, employment search, and other individual and community economic advances meeting the specific challenges resulting from the pandemic within the proposed project area;
• Social impact: improvements in educational, healthcare, and other individual and societal gains within the proposed project area;
  • Degree to which the need for funding is described:
  • Financial metrics including rate of return and payback periods with and without the requested grant amount with all supporting details;
  • Details that quantitatively equate the specific grant amount to the gap in the business plan;
  • Demonstration of prior attempts to finance similar project and explanation/evidence of shortcomings in raising capital.

Item 7: Community Support and Engagement (0 to 25 points)

• How the project supports the program objectives and previous broadband planning efforts in the proposed project area;
• The degree to which the project fits into an existing community strategic plan;
• Recent survey data that covers a broad spectrum of the community with statistically meaningful results regarding the level of need, gaps, and project support;
• Evidence of community support and demonstration of community engagement. This may include, but is not limited to, “personalized” letters of support, attendance at events/meetings demonstrating community engagement at-large, and planning/organizing events for community members;
• Engagement with stakeholders outside of the project team, which may include residents, businesses, community leaders, project partners, elected officials, community broadband task force, etc.;
• The degree to which the project will include local hires and provide opportunities for local hires, such as apprenticeship programs, job fairs, and training programs;
• Commitment to sustain the project for a minimum of five years.

Item 8 – Affordable Connectivity (0 to 15 points)

• Service offerings and price points provided meet the unique needs of economically disadvantaged households and their affordability levels.
• Special rates and discounts are provided for devices that enable remote learning.
• Enrollment in the Affordable Connectivity Program is available.
• A marketing plan for enrollment in the Affordable Connectivity Program is in place.
• Offerings that enable the purchase of unbundled internet at reasonable price points without obligations are available.

Item 9: Objective Scoring (total of 175 points)  

Households, businesses, and anchor institutions passed (0 to 175 points)  

Cost Sharing (0 to 65 points)