First Nations Community Wi-Fi Program – Open Competitive Grant Opportunity

The First Nations Community Wi-Fi Program is an open competitive grant opportunity that will fund projects to provide free community Wi-Fi solutions in eligible remote and very remote First Nations communities.  The program aims to improve and expand the level of digital inclusion for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples by providing accessible, place-based solutions that are tailored to the needs of individual communities now and into the future.  Accessibility, affordability and sustainability are key features of the program. 

The objective of the Grant Opportunity is to:

• deliver place-based Community Wi-Fi solutions in remote and very remote First Nations communities, by 30 June 2027, that respond to local priorities and community needs, and is reliable, sustainable, stable, accessible, and free for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living in those communities.

The First Nations Community Wi-Fi program grant opportunity will be delivered through an open competitive grants process administered by the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts (the department) in accordance with the Commonwealth Grants Rules and Principles 2024 (CGRPs).

You must satisfy all the eligibility criteria and be deemed eligible by the department to then be invited to submit a full application.

To be eligible you must:

• have an Australian Business Number (ABN), or be able to provide evidence of exemption
• be registered for the purpose of GST, or be able to provide evidence of exemption
• have an account with an Australian financial institution
• be a legal entity with the capacity to enter into a legally binding agreement or contract
• be a legal entity, able to enter into a legally binding agreement

and be one of the following entity types:

• a licensed telecommunications carrier under the Telecommunications Act 1997
• owner or intended owner of the Proposed Solution infrastructure who holds or intends to hold a Nominated Carrier Declaration (NCD) under the Telecommunications Act 1997 in relation to the infrastructure to be build improved/upgraded
• a joint (consortia) application, with a lead organisation, where at least one organisation must be a licensed telecommunications carrier or infrastructure owner who holds or intends to hold an NCD in relation to the infrastructure to be built, improved or upgraded.