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Glossary of Broadband Grant Terms

Confused about the terms you see in broadband grant applications and program guidance? You’re not alone! That’s why we made this helpful glossary for you, to help you quickly navigate broadband grants.

63-20 Financing Image

63-20 Financing

Administrative Expenses Image

Administrative Expenses

Aerial Deployment Image

Aerial Deployment

Aerial Fiber Image

Aerial Fiber
(Aerial Installation)

Affidavit Image

Affidavit

Affordable Connectivity Program Image

Affordable Connectivity Program
(ACP)

American Rescue Plan Act Image

American Rescue Plan Act
(ARPA)

Application Model Image

Application Model

Area Challenge Module Image

Area Challenge Module

Asymmetric Image

Asymmetric

Attestation Image

Attestation

Average Revenue Per User Image

Average Revenue Per User
(ARPU)

BABA Whitelist Compliant Equipment Image

BABA Whitelist Compliant Equipment

Backbone Image

Backbone
(Backhaul)

Bandwidth Image

Bandwidth

Bank Loan Image

Bank Loan

BEAD Grant Cybersecurity Requirements Image

BEAD Grant Cybersecurity Requirements

BEAD Timelines Image

BEAD Timelines

Bit Image

Bit

Broadband Image

Broadband

Broadband Audit Image

Broadband Audit

Broadband Deployment Accuracy and Technological Availability Act Image

Broadband Deployment Accuracy and Technological Availability Act
(Broadband DATA Act)

Broadband Deployment Accuracy and Technological Availability Act Maps Image

Broadband Deployment Accuracy and Technological Availability Act Maps
(Broadband DATA Maps)

Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment Program Image

Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment Program
(BEAD Program)

Broadband Feasibility Study Image

Broadband Feasibility Study

Broadband Initiatives Program Image

Broadband Initiatives Program
(BIP)

Broadband Serviceable Locations Image

Broadband Serviceable Locations

Broadband Technology Opportunities Program Image

Broadband Technology Opportunities Program
(BTOP)

Bulk Fabric Challenge Image

Bulk Fabric Challenge

Buried Fiber Image

Buried Fiber
(Buried Fiber Deployment)

Byte Image

Byte

Cable Internet Image

Cable Internet
(Cable)

Capital Expenditures Image

Capital Expenditures
(Capex)

Capital Projects Program Image

Capital Projects Program

Capital Structure Image

Capital Structure
(Capital Stack)

Census Block Image

Census Block

Census Block Group Image

Census Block Group
(CBG)

Challenge Process Image

Challenge Process

Churn Rate Image

Churn Rate
(Churn)

Coaxial Cable Image

Coaxial Cable
(Coax)

Common Equity Stock Image

Common Equity Stock
(Common Stock)

Communications Act of 1934 Image

Communications Act of 1934

Community Anchor Institution Image

Community Anchor Institution
(CAI)

Community Development Financial Institution Image

Community Development Financial Institution

Community Reinvestment Act Image

Community Reinvestment Act

Conduit Financing Image

Conduit Financing

Connect America Fund Image

Connect America Fund
(CAF)

Connecting Minority Communities Pilot Program Image

Connecting Minority Communities Pilot Program
(CMC Pilot Program)

Connectivity Profile Image

Connectivity Profile

Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 Image

Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021

Content Provider Image

Content Provider

Cooperative Image

Cooperative
(Co-op)

Customer Premises Equipment Image

Customer Premises Equipment
(CPE)

Data Packet Image

Data Packet

Davis-Bacon Act (for BEAD) Image

Davis-Bacon Act (for BEAD)

Debt Image

Debt

Debt/EBITDA Image

Debt/EBITDA

Debt-Service Ratio Coverage Image

Debt-Service Ratio Coverage
(DSRC)

Demand Point Passed Image

Demand Point Passed
(DPP)

Digital Canyon Image

Digital Canyon
(Digital Divide)

Digital Equity Image

Digital Equity
(Digital Inclusion)

Digital Equity Act Programs Image

Digital Equity Act Programs

Digital Subscriber Line Image

Digital Subscriber Line
(DSL)

Earnings Before Interest Taxes Depreciation and Amortization Image

Earnings Before Interest Taxes Depreciation and Amortization
(EBITDA)

Economic Development Incentive Image

Economic Development Incentive

Eligible Community Anchor Institution Image

Eligible Community Anchor Institution

Eligible Entity Image

Eligible Entity

Enterprise Value Image

Enterprise Value
(EV)

Equity Image

Equity
(Shareholders’ Equity)

Ethernet Cable Image

Ethernet Cable

Fabric Image

Fabric

FCC Registration Number Image

FCC Registration Number
(FRN)

Feasibility Study Image

Feasibility Study

Federal Communications Commission Image

Federal Communications Commission
(FCC)

Fiber Image

Fiber

Fiber-to-the-Curb Image

Fiber-to-the-Curb
(FTTC)

Fiber-to-the-Home Image

Fiber-to-the-Home
(FTTH)

Fiber to the home/premises/curb/node Image

Fiber to the home/premises/curb/node

Fiber-to-the-Node Image

Fiber-to-the-Node
(FTTN)

Fiber-to-the-Premises Image

Fiber-to-the-Premises
(FTTP)

Final Proposal Image

Final Proposal

Formula Grant Image

Formula Grant

General Obligation Bond Image

General Obligation Bond
(GO Bond)

Grant Adjusted Yield on Cost Image

Grant Adjusted Yield on Cost
(Grant Adjusted YOC)

Grant Anticipation Note Image

Grant Anticipation Note
(GAN)

Grant Revenue Anticipation Notes Image

Grant Revenue Anticipation Notes

Gross Profit Image

Gross Profit
(Gross Profit Margin)

Ground Deployment Image

Ground Deployment

Guaranteed Bank Loan Image

Guaranteed Bank Loan

High Cost Area Image

High Cost Area

Incumbent and Competitive Local Exchange Carriers Image

Incumbent and Competitive Local Exchange Carriers
(ILEC)

Indefeasible Right of Use Image

Indefeasible Right of Use
(IRU)

Indian Tribe Image

Indian Tribe

Industrial Revenue Bonds Image

Industrial Revenue Bonds
(IRBs)

Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act Image

Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act

Initial Funding Availability Image

Initial Funding Availability

Initial Proposal Image

Initial Proposal

In-kind Matching Funds Image

In-kind Matching Funds

Internet Exchange Facility Image

Internet Exchange Facility

Internet Protocol Image

Internet Protocol

Internet Service Provider Image

Internet Service Provider
(ISP)

Irrevocable Standby Letter of Credit for BEAD Grants Image

Irrevocable Standby Letter of Credit for BEAD Grants
(Letter of Credit)

Last Mile Image

Last Mile

Latency Image

Latency
(Ping)

Legal Expenses Image

Legal Expenses

Letter of Credit Image

Letter of Credit
(LOC)

Limited-Tax General Obligation Pledge Image

Limited-Tax General Obligation Pledge

Loan Image

Loan

Local Coordination Image

Local Coordination

Low-Cost Broadband Service Option Image

Low-Cost Broadband Service Option

Make Ready Work Image

Make Ready Work

Match Capital Image

Match Capital
(Match Funding)

Matching Funds for BEAD Grants Image

Matching Funds for BEAD Grants

Mezzanine Debt Image

Mezzanine Debt
(Mezz Debt)

Middle Mile Image

Middle Mile

Millimeter Wave Image

Millimeter Wave

Mobile Image

Mobile

Monitoring, Reporting and Performance Management Image

Monitoring, Reporting and Performance Management

Multiple Dwelling Unit Image

Multiple Dwelling Unit
(Multi-Dwelling Unit)

Multiple Dwelling Unit Challenge Module Image

Multiple Dwelling Unit Challenge Module
(MDU Challenge Module)

Municipal Bond Image

Municipal Bond
(Muni Bond)

National Telecommunications and Information Administration Image

National Telecommunications and Information Administration
(NTIA)

Native American Image

Native American

Native Entity Image

Native Entity

Network Node Image

Network Node

Nielsen’s Law of Internet Bandwidth Image

Nielsen’s Law of Internet Bandwidth

Non-Traditional Broadband Provider Image

Non-Traditional Broadband Provider
(Broadband Service Provider)

Notice of Funding Opportunities Image

Notice of Funding Opportunities
(NOFO)

Operating Margin Image

Operating Margin
(EBITDA Margin)

Optical Line Terminal Image

Optical Line Terminal
(OLT)

Optical Network Terminal Image

Optical Network Terminal
(ONT)

Outside Plant Image

Outside Plant

Packet Loss Image

Packet Loss

Peering and Transit Agreements Image

Peering and Transit Agreements

Performance Bonds for BEAD Grants Image

Performance Bonds for BEAD Grants

Point to Point Image

Point to Point

Preferred Equity Image

Preferred Equity

Priority Broadband Project Image

Priority Broadband Project
(Fiber to the Home)

Private Activity Bonds Image

Private Activity Bonds

Project Finance Image

Project Finance

Public-Private Partnerships Image

Public-Private Partnerships
(PPP)

Public Utility Company Image

Public Utility Company
(Utility)

ReConnect Loan and Grant Program Image

ReConnect Loan and Grant Program
(ReConnect)

Reliability Image

Reliability

Reliable Broadband Service Image

Reliable Broadband Service

Request for Initial Planning Funds Image

Request for Initial Planning Funds

Revenue Bond Image

Revenue Bond

Revolving Credit Line Image

Revolving Credit Line
(Revolver)

Rural Digital Opportunity Fund Image

Rural Digital Opportunity Fund
(RDOF)

Rural Electrical Cooperatives Image

Rural Electrical Cooperatives
(RECs)

Rural Utility Service Image

Rural Utility Service

Satellite Internet Image

Satellite Internet

Secondary Addresses Image

Secondary Addresses

Secured Debt Image

Secured Debt

Security Image

Security

Senior Debt Image

Senior Debt

Simple Agreement for Future Equity Image

Simple Agreement for Future Equity
(SAFE)

Speed Image

Speed

Speed Test Module Image

Speed Test Module

State Image

State

Stock Image

Stock
(equity shares)

Subgrantee Selection Image

Subgrantee Selection

Subgrantee/Subrecipient Image

Subgrantee/Subrecipient
(Subgrantee)

Subordinated Debt Image

Subordinated Debt
(Subordinated Debenture)

Subsidiarity Image

Subsidiarity

Symmetric Image

Symmetric

Take Rate Image

Take Rate

Taxable Debt Image

Taxable Debt

Tax-Exempt Debt Image

Tax-Exempt Debt

Telecommunications Act of 1996 Image

Telecommunications Act of 1996

The Good. The BEAD. The Ugly. Image

The Good. The BEAD. The Ugly.

Tier 1, 2, 3 Image

Tier 1, 2, 3

Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program Image

Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program

Tribal Data Sovereignty  Image

Tribal Data Sovereignty

Tribal Government Image

Tribal Government

Tribal Land Image

Tribal Land

Trust Land Image

Trust Land

Underserved Location Image

Underserved Location
(Underserved)

Underserved Service Project Image

Underserved Service Project

Universal Service Fund Image

Universal Service Fund

Unlevered Returns Image

Unlevered Returns

Unlimited-Tax General Obligation Pledge Image

Unlimited-Tax General Obligation Pledge

Unsecured Debt Image

Unsecured Debt

Unserved Location Image

Unserved Location
(Unserved community)

Unserved Service Project Image

Unserved Service Project

Upload and download Image

Upload and download

Utility Stakeholder System Image

Utility Stakeholder System
(USS)

Wi-Fi Image

Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi Router Image

Wi-Fi Router

Wireless Image

Wireless

Working Capital Image

Working Capital
(Net Working Capital)

Yield on Cost Image

Yield on Cost
(YOC)