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

Administrative Expenses

Aerial Deployment

Aerial Fiber
(Aerial Installation)

Affidavit

Affordable Connectivity Program
(ACP)

American Rescue Plan Act
(ARPA)

Application Model

Area Challenge Module

Asymmetric

Attestation

Average Revenue Per User
(ARPU)

BABA Whitelist Compliant Equipment

Backbone
(Backhaul)

Bandwidth

Bank Loan

BEAD Grant Cybersecurity Requirements

BEAD Timelines

Bit

Broadband

Broadband Audit

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

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

Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment Program
(BEAD Program)

Broadband Feasibility Study

Broadband Initiatives Program
(BIP)

Broadband Serviceable Locations

Broadband Technology Opportunities Program
(BTOP)

Bulk Fabric Challenge

Buried Fiber
(Buried Fiber Deployment)

Byte

Cable Internet
(Cable)

Capital Expenditures
(Capex)

Capital Projects Program

Capital Structure
(Capital Stack)

Census Block

Census Block Group
(CBG)

Challenge Process

Churn Rate
(Churn)

Coaxial Cable
(Coax)

Common Equity Stock
(Common Stock)

Communications Act of 1934

Community Anchor Institution
(CAI)

Community Development Financial Institution

Community Reinvestment Act

Conduit Financing

Connect America Fund
(CAF)

Connecting Minority Communities Pilot Program
(CMC Pilot Program)

Connectivity Profile

Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021

Content Provider

Cooperative
(Co-op)

Customer Premises Equipment
(CPE)

Data Packet

Davis-Bacon Act (for BEAD)

Debt

Debt/EBITDA

Debt-Service Ratio Coverage
(DSRC)

Demand Point Passed
(DPP)

Digital Canyon
(Digital Divide)

Digital Equity
(Digital Inclusion)

Digital Equity Act Programs

Digital Subscriber Line
(DSL)

Earnings Before Interest Taxes Depreciation and Amortization
(EBITDA)

Economic Development Incentive

Eligible Community Anchor Institution

Eligible Entity

Enterprise Value
(EV)

Equity
(Shareholders’ Equity)

Ethernet Cable

Fabric

FCC Registration Number
(FRN)

Feasibility Study

Federal Communications Commission
(FCC)

Fiber

Fiber-to-the-Curb
(FTTC)

Fiber-to-the-Home
(FTTH)

Fiber to the home/premises/curb/node

Fiber-to-the-Node
(FTTN)

Fiber-to-the-Premises
(FTTP)

Final Proposal

Formula Grant

General Obligation Bond
(GO Bond)

Grant Adjusted Yield on Cost
(Grant Adjusted YOC)

Grant Anticipation Note
(GAN)

Grant Revenue Anticipation Notes

Gross Profit
(Gross Profit Margin)

Ground Deployment

Guaranteed Bank Loan

High Cost Area

Incumbent and Competitive Local Exchange Carriers
(ILEC)

Indefeasible Right of Use
(IRU)

Indian Tribe

Industrial Revenue Bonds
(IRBs)

Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act

Initial Funding Availability

Initial Proposal

In-kind Matching Funds

Internet Exchange Facility

Internet Protocol

Internet Service Provider
(ISP)

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

Last Mile

Latency
(Ping)

Legal Expenses

Letter of Credit
(LOC)

Limited-Tax General Obligation Pledge

Loan

Local Coordination

Low-Cost Broadband Service Option

Make Ready Work

Match Capital
(Match Funding)

Matching Funds for BEAD Grants

Mezzanine Debt
(Mezz Debt)

Middle Mile

Millimeter Wave

Mobile

Monitoring, Reporting and Performance Management

Multiple Dwelling Unit
(Multi-Dwelling Unit)

Multiple Dwelling Unit Challenge Module
(MDU Challenge Module)

Municipal Bond
(Muni Bond)

National Telecommunications and Information Administration
(NTIA)

Native American

Native Entity

Network Node

Nielsen’s Law of Internet Bandwidth

Non-Traditional Broadband Provider
(Broadband Service Provider)

Notice of Funding Opportunities
(NOFO)

Operating Margin
(EBITDA Margin)

Optical Line Terminal
(OLT)

Optical Network Terminal
(ONT)

Outside Plant

Packet Loss

Peering and Transit Agreements

Performance Bonds for BEAD Grants

Point to Point

Preferred Equity

Priority Broadband Project
(Fiber to the Home)

Private Activity Bonds

Project Finance

Public-Private Partnerships
(PPP)

Public Utility Company
(Utility)

ReConnect Loan and Grant Program
(ReConnect)

Reliability

Reliable Broadband Service

Request for Initial Planning Funds

Revenue Bond

Revolving Credit Line
(Revolver)

Rural Digital Opportunity Fund
(RDOF)

Rural Electrical Cooperatives
(RECs)

Rural Utility Service

Satellite Internet

Secondary Addresses

Secured Debt

Security

Senior Debt

Simple Agreement for Future Equity
(SAFE)

Speed

Speed Test Module

State

Stock
(equity shares)

Subgrantee Selection

Subgrantee/Subrecipient
(Subgrantee)

Subordinated Debt
(Subordinated Debenture)

Subsidiarity

Symmetric

Take Rate

Taxable Debt

Tax-Exempt Debt

Telecommunications Act of 1996

The Good. The BEAD. The Ugly.

Tier 1, 2, 3

Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program

Tribal Data Sovereignty

Tribal Government

Tribal Land

Trust Land

Underserved Location
(Underserved)

Underserved Service Project

Universal Service Fund

Unlevered Returns

Unlimited-Tax General Obligation Pledge

Unsecured Debt

Unserved Location
(Unserved community)

Unserved Service Project

Upload and download

Utility Stakeholder System
(USS)

Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi Router

Wireless

Working Capital
(Net Working Capital)

Yield on Cost
(YOC)