The $60 million Gig State grant opportunity aims to deliver better internet connectivity for communities in regional NSW through new and improved infrastructure. The focus of the grant is to deliver internet connectivity that is metropolitan equivalent, to residents who currently rely on satellite internet services.
Key information
- Status: Closed
- Grant amount: Up to $60,000,000
- Application opened: 4 October 2022
- Application closed: 21 November 2022, 5:00 pm
Program objective
The Gig State project aims to bring metro-equivalent internet price, quality of service and speeds to rural, remote and regional NSW through investment in internet infrastructure.
Improving the internet services across regional NSW will mean businesses and communities can effectively run and expand their operations, use cloud-based services, access online teleconferencing programs and education opportunities, work from home and stay in touch with friends and family.
Benefits of this investment will include:
- internet access that matches services available in metropolitan areas
- more reliable connectivity to boost long-term jobs growth in rural and regional areas
- improved internet offering for speed, quality, and price for regional businesses and residents, and
- a long-term solution that will help regions grow now, but also meet their needs well into the future.
A total of $60 million is available under the Gig State grant opportunity for the construction and delivery of internet solutions that improve connectivity in locations within regional NSW.
The objectives of the grant opportunity are to:
- provide metropolitan equivalent internet services in terms of price, quality and speed
- address the digital divide by delivering improved internet services for underserved areas of regional NSW
- deliver sustainable and resilient infrastructure solutions that meet the current and future needs of regional communities.
This program is administered by Department of Regional NSW.
Eligibility
Who can apply
To be eligible to apply for funding, applicants must:
- have an Australian Business Number (ABN) and be registered for Goods and Services Tax (GST).
- hold or commit to appropriate public liability insurance to the satisfaction of the department prior to executing a funding deed with the department
- have an Australian Carrier Licence under the Telecommunications Act 1997 (Cth).
Applicants can submit a joint application, but a lead applicant with an Australian Carrier Licence will need to be nominated. If the application is successful, the lead applicant will enter the funding deed and be ultimately responsible for the project.
Applicants will be required to make a cash co-contribution towards the construction and operation of the proposed internet connectivity solution. Applicants’ cash contributions will be expected to increase based on the relative commercial viability of their proposed internet connectivity solution.
What the funding can be used for
Applications can request grant funding for the following expenditure:
- pre-construction costs (e.g. design costs, planning approvals costs, site acquisition costs, direct project management costs)
- capital expenditure and other expenses directly related to the delivery of infrastructure (e.g. equipment, power, backhaul, new / strengthening towers)
- customer connection infrastructure costs.
Most recent recipients
What your application needs to include
For more information about the $60 million Gig State grant opportunity, including key dates, eligibility and assessment criteria, see below:
File
Download Gig State Grant Guidelines (PDF 2.44MB)
Registration for SmartyGrants
Applicants will need to register on the SmartyGrants portal to participate in the grant opportunity and access the application forms. Applications received by any other means, for example email or post, will not be accepted by the department.
Application submission checklist
Applications must be submitted in the template provided by the department via the SmartyGrants Portal by the closing date and time. All components of the application template must be addressed by the applicant.
All applications must include:
- a high-level overview of the proposed internet connectivity solution(s) delivers the grant opportunity objectives and eligibility requirements
- a high-level overview of any additional service offerings over and above the minimum level of service as identified in the project eligibility criteria
- evidence of the organisation’s experience delivering projects of similar scope and scale, or other evidence of its capability and capacity to deliver the project
- evidence of ability to complete the infrastructure works and be Ready for Service by 31 December 2025
- coverage maps of the applicant’s existing fixed services coverage in regional NSW
- coverage maps of the applicant’s planned coverage in regional NSW and the funding status
- technical plans for the applicant’s proposed coverage solution
- the applicant’s network performance proposal for the minimum 10-year operational period of the asset
- completed applicant datasheet template, including the breakdown of the estimated total cost of the project, grant request from the NSW Government, cash co-contribution amount and source
- coverage maps for each location identifying the predicted coverage zone of the proposed internet connectivity solution
- an overview of the applicant’s sustainable procurement and employment outcomes
- requested government assistance and co-contribution information
- financial statements (trading, profit & loss statements and balance sheets) for three continuous years starting from the latest available year or other evidence of financial viability if statements are not available (for example a signed statement from an external accountant)
- evidence of, or commitment to obtain appropriate public liability insurance or a self-insurance licence pursuant to the Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 1988 (Cth)
- proposed departures (if any) from the draft funding deed’s terms and conditions
- signed statutory declaration warranting that none of the proposed coverage solutions subject to the application were at any time part of the forward build network expansion or upgrade plans at the time of the guidelines release.
All electronic files should be provided in an appropriate Microsoft compatible format; and Geo-spatial information such as maps must be provided in either MapInfo TAB, ESRI Shape or GML format.
Eligible internet connectivity solutions for grant funding
To be eligible to apply for funding, applicant’s proposed internet connectivity solutions must provide:
- minimum services of 50 Megabits per second (Mbps) download and 10 Mbps upload capability at the customer premise via fixed services using Layer 2 infrastructure
- metropolitan equivalent prices and products for residential customers
- be ready for service by 31 December 2025, unless otherwise agreed by the department, and
- not be a location identified in forward build network expansion or upgrade plans.
Unless otherwise agreed by the department, there is no minimum or maximum grant amount for eligible solution expenditure. However, the total of all grants funded by the NSW Government cannot exceed the amount of the available funds.
Eligible locations for internet connectivity solutions
Eligible locations are areas of regional NSW, as defined at Appendix A in the grant guidelines, where:
- internet access is via satellite services only
- there are no current fixed services
- there are no alternative internet options available
- there are no committed or planned projects for fixed services in the area.
Proposed internet connectivity solutions will be assessed against the following assessment criteria. The amount of detail and supporting evidence provided in your application should be relative to the project’s size, complexity and grant amount requested.
- Social and economic outcomes
- Consumer outcomes
- Deliverability
- Strategic alignment
- Value for money
- Technical due diligence
- Additional evaluation considerations.
More information on each assessment criterion is available in the grant guidelines.
Resources for applicants
After the application is submitted
The department will coordinate the assessment process.
Assessment of the applications will be completed in four steps:
1. Eligibility Assessment
An assessment panel will be convened to consider applications against the eligibility and assessment criteria and to determine the suitability of each project for funding
Applicants or proposed internet connectivity solutions that do not meet the eligibility requirements may, at the assessment panel’s absolute discretion, be excluded from further consideration and the applicant notified accordingly.
Final eligibility determinations will be made at the discretion of the assessment panel, with the advice from the department.
2. Criteria Assessment
Eligible applications will be assessed using the merit-based criteria and compared to other eligible applications. Applications that do not meet a minimum threshold score for any one of the merit criteria, or only just meet the minimum threshold score for multiple criteria may be considered ineligible.
The assessment will be undertaken on a per location basis, meaning that some locations submitted by an applicant may be recommended for funding and other locations submitted by the same applicant may not be recommended for funding.
3. Assessment panel review and recommendation
The assessment panel will review the outcomes of the criteria assessment and consider the merits of each application against the criteria to determine if the proposed application should be considered for funding.
The assessment panel may:
Final eligibility and suitability determinations will be made at the discretion of the assessment panel, with advice and recommendations from the department.
- recommend part-funding an application where there is insufficient funding available or where only a component of the application is considered suitable for funding
- recommend a lesser funding amount to what was requested if deemed more appropriate
- ask applicants to provide additional information to assist the assessment process. Advice may also be sought from other government agencies, or subject matter experts.
4. Approval
The assessment panel’s advice and recommendations will be provided to the Secretary of the Department of Regional NSW for consideration and approval.
The Secretary will review the availability of grant funds and the assessment panel’s recommendations before deciding which grants to approve. The Secretary may take other factors into account that may make an application ineligible for funding, including issues that could cause reputational or other risks to the NSW Government.
The Secretary’s decision is final in all matters, including:
- the approval of the grant
- the grant funding amount to be awarded
- the terms and conditions of the funding.
There is no appeal mechanism for decisions to approve or not approve a grant.
Notification of funding outcomes
Applicants will be notified in writing of the outcome from January 2023 or as soon as possible after a grant is approved, at the NSW Government’s discretion. Applicants can request a feedback information session for any unsuccessful application.
Support and contact
The Department of Regional NSW can offer support and answer questions about the grant opportunity. Please contact the Gig State project team via email: gigstate@regional.nsw.gov.au
Please note, if any information provided in response to an applicant's enquiry has applicability to all applicants, and is not general public knowledge, an update to the online Frequently Asked Questions will be made. The department is not able to assist applicants with the preparation of their application.