§2370.7. Scoring

            Applications shall be scored based upon a system that awards a single point for criteria considered to be the minimum level for the provision of broadband service with additional points awarded to criteria that exceed minimum levels. The office shall develop a scoring system in accordance with the following:

            (1) The office shall give additional points based upon the experience, technical ability, and financial wherewithal of the applicant in successfully deploying and providing broadband service, as well as the proposed amount of matching funds committed by the applicant relative to the minimum required amount of twenty percent.

            (2) The office shall give additional points to applicants that provide a letter of support from local government.

            (3) The office shall give additional points to projects based upon the estimated number of unserved households within the eligible economically distressed parish, as determined by the most recent data published by the Federal Communications Commission or any other information available to the office.

            (4) The office shall give additional points to projects that will provide broadband service based upon the percentage of the total unserved households within the eligible economically distressed parish that the project will serve. The number of unserved households shall be determined using the most recent data published by the Federal Communications Commission or any other information available to the office.

            (5) The office shall give additional points to projects that will provide broadband service to unserved businesses located within the eligible economically distressed parish, as determined by the most recent data published by the Federal Communications Commission or any other information available to the office.

            (6) The office shall give additional points based upon the applicant's ability to leverage its own or nearby or adjacent broadband service infrastructure in the proposed project area, and shall consider the ultimate price to the consumer in awarding points.

            (7) The office shall give additional points to projects receiving funding or in-kind contributions from local government for eligible projects within the jurisdiction of the local government.

            (8) The office shall give additional points to projects in which the eligible grant recipient is a small business entrepreneurship certified by the Hudson Initiative, R.S. 39:2001 et seq., or the Veteran Initiative, R.S. 39:2171 et seq., in accordance with rules promulgated by the office.

            (9) The office shall give additional points to projects in which the eligible grant recipient commits to a good faith subcontracting plan to contract with or employ a small business entrepreneurship certified by the Hudson Initiative, R.S. 39:2001 et seq., or the Veteran Initiative, R.S. 39:2171 et seq., to substantially participate in the performance of the project, in accordance with rules promulgated by the office.

            (10) The office shall not consider the format of mapping data provided by a broadband provider evaluating a grant proposal.

            Acts 2021, No. 477, §1, eff. July 1, 2021.