Vermont could get big high-speed Internet boost: Rutland Herald Online

May 29, 2009

MONTPELIER – Vermont could see between $30 million and $70 million in federal stimulus money to boost its ambitious plan for universal high-speed Internet access by the end of next year and companies are already lining up with their possible projects.

Later this summer, the National Telecommunications and Information Agency and the Rural Utilities Services are expected to begin accepting proposals for billions of dollars in high-speed Internet and mobile data grant and loans. And while the federal rules on how those funds will be allocated are not yet written – Vermont wants to be first in line to best take advantage of the money..."

Journalism ‘Doh!’ moment | The Moderate Voice

May 29, 2009

Though we try to avoid them, errors are part of the reality of volunteer/citizen media like TMV and other blogs. Even at traditional, commercial media, mistakes happen because … well, you know, “to err is human.” That said, it’s reasonable to hope that mistakes are less common among the professional class than the volunteer class — and that “doh!” moments are virtually non-existent in the former.

Or maybe not...

GOP nominees for FCC appear set - Washington Wire - WSJ

May 29, 2009

Work has slowed to a crawl at the Federal Communications Commission, since President Barack Obama’s pick to be chairman, Julius Genachowski, is still awaiting Senate confirmation.

But the logjam could be broken soon: Republicans appear to have settled on two people to fill the GOP seats on the five-member board, paving the way for a confirmation hearing in June. Senate Republicans have agreed on former Commerce Department official Meredith Attwell Baker and current FCC Commissioner Robert McDowell, officials close to the process say...

Verizon, Frontier ask FCC to back license transfers | Deals | Regulatory News | Reuters

May 29, 2009

Reuters - Verizon Communications Inc (VZ.N) and Frontier Communications Corp (FTR.N) on Friday asked U.S. regulators to approve the transfers of phone line licenses as part of the companies' $5.25 billion deal. Under a deal announced earlier this month, Verizon would sell 4.8 million rural phone lines to Frontier, which would become the largest rural-only service provider in the United States.

"The proposed transaction will not cause competitive harm and will bring significant public interest benefits, including the increased deployment of broadband to rural areas, which both the President and Congress have identified as a national priority," the joint filing with Federal Communications Commission said...

Push for electronic medical records must slow down, for security's sake - Business Center - PC World

May 29, 2009

Among the many new provisions the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), is federal funding for electronic medical records. Known as HITECH, the law gives incentives to healthcare organizations to digitize personal health information before 2020. Lost in the rush, however, are the details.

"I look forward to medical records going electronic," said Howard Schmidt, the former White House cybersecurity czar, "but I have a tremendous amount of concern about building a really, really good healthcare infrastructure … and then securing it later." Schmidt spoke with PCWorld at RSA 2009...

The Digital Divide - What’s being done to make digital life more equal?

May 29, 2009

Two years ago, Michael Ibarra’s “Big Brother” helped him get a scholarship to a private school by researching options online. But during the first half of sixth grade at the Clairbourn School in San Gabriel, California, Michael couldn’t keep up. His grades were slipping. The scholarship he got with the help of the Internet was taking him only so far because he didn’t have online access at home.

Michael lives with his 77-year-old grandmother, Margaret Ibarra, whose $1,400-a-month income doesn’t lend to extravagance, and paying for a high-speed Internet connection would put them over the top of their strict budget. “I know he needs [the Internet] desperately,” she says. “Yesterday, he was crying because he had a project that he had to do. Most of his homework comes through the network.” Thankfully, Michael’s Big Brother recently stepped in again, paying temporarily for the pricey Internet connection.

These days, if you’re not online, you’re not just out of luck—you’re also without access to education, jobs and much-needed tasks like online banking. Without the Internet, Michael, like 20 million other Americans, was being left behind...

Ohio lagging in getting feds’ OK for stimulus projects - Business First of Columbus:

May 29, 2009

Ohio risks forfeiting millions in government stimulus dollars for infrastructure projects if it doesn’t finish processing those jobs in the construction pipeline in the next month.

The state has until June 29 to get federal authorization for $327.5 million in transportation stimulus projects. As of May 28, it had received authorization for 50 percent of that total – far behind the pace set in other states, which collectively have approval for 92 percent of the funds...

Was broadband stimulus really delayed? Perception may matter most

May 29, 2009

A recent report from the National Telecommunications Information Administration (NTIA), which triggered speculation that the federal broadband stimulus program has been delayed, is open to interpretation. But whether the schedule provided by the NTIA this month represents a delay or simply a clarification, it could drive service providers that hoped to obtain funds to push out their deployment plans even further than might be expected.

When the stimulus program kicked off with a public meeting in March, Bernadette McGuire-Rivera of the NTIA said, “We are expecting to have the first notice of availability of funds out somewhere in the April to June period of this year.” She also pointed to two additional grant rounds, one with a time frame of October to December of 2009 and the other with a time frame of “around April or June of 2010.” Did she mean the notice of funds for each round would come out during those time intervals or that proposals would be accepted at those times or that money would be awarded at those times? It’s unclear...

EC declares "no need for State intervention" in broadband duopoly because there's no market failure | The Precursor Blog by Scott Cleland

May 28, 2009

In a significant blow to U.S. advocates of Government-mandated open access networks -- over facilities-based broadband network competition -- the European Commission (EC) just declared "no need for State intervention" in geographic zones where there are at least two facilities-based broadband network competitors, because that means "there is no market failure."

* The EC made the declaration in its just-released report:"Community Guidelines for the application of State aid rules in relation to rapid deployment of broadband networks." This is the EC guidance for spending economic stimulus funds for promoting broadband...

Final public meeting on broadband stimulus funds to be held June 3 in Philadelphia

May 28, 2009 - HARRISBURG, Pa. The final meeting for the public to offer input on how Pennsylvania can best use federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds to expand access to broadband Internet service will be held on Wednesday, June 3, in Philadelphia, Governor Edward G. Rendell said today.

"Federal broadband stimulus funds are giving Pennsylvania an advantage in attracting new businesses, equipping existing businesses with the tools they need to thrive, and creating opportunities for students to learn and compete in the global marketplace," Governor Rendell said...

Omnicity maps out major expansion with Afterimage GIS - Financial News USA

May 28, 2009

Rushville, IN --(www.FinancialNewsUSA.com)

Omnicity Corp (OTCBB: OMCY) continues to move forward in its nationwide expansion plan and has partnered with Afterimage GIS to map out major new territories for growth and efficiency. Omnicity, in their first quarter as a publicly held company, has tripled in size through acquisition and is focused on their 17,000 square mile coverage area to increase their customer base through internal growth. The partnership with Afterimage GIS gives Omnicity the marketing and planning tool that is key to more fully understanding the markets they serve as well as more precisely defining important elements of the markets where the Company plans to grow. Greg Jarman, COO of Omnicity commented, ``We look forward to working with another Indiana-based company and we are very impressed with the management team at Afterimage GIS. They bring many years of wireless experience and their 3-D mapping solution will allow us to grow into our neighboring states of Kentucky, Ohio, Michigan and Illinois much more efficiently...''

FCC discusses broadband: the job is a big one - O'Reilly Radar

Around the time I submitted a proposal on the White House's open government dialog site for local forums to implement high-speed networks, the FCC released a 77-page report (in PDF format) that casts some light on the proposal. Their report, titled "Bringing Broadband to Rural America: Report on a Rural Broadband Strategy," covers a huge range of ground (and retells a lot of standard stories, including the reasons for universal service in broadband and a history of public infrastructure efforts). Some of the impressions I got relevant to local forums are:

* Calls for cooperation between government and "community and local advocacy groups." These seemed to be defined as coalitions representing particular populations, such as minorities and the disabled. The report did not explicitly suggest, as my proposal does, that everyone within a relevant geographic area be invited to the table...

Carnegie library stimulus =?= ARRA broadband funds

May 28, 2009

More than half the libraries existing in the U.S. in 1919 had received construction grant money from Andrew Carnegie. Andrew Carnegie was a Scottish-born U.S. industrialist who acquired massive wealth. He believed in self-improvement through hard work, and he considered public libraries to serve this purpose by making knowledge available to everyone. Hence Carnegie set up a grant program for the construction of public libraries.

The total value of Carnegie's grants to U.S. libraries was about equal to that of the current U.S. broadband stimulus package. Carnegie donated more than $40 million between 1886 and 1919 to construct 1,679 new libraries in the U.S. (about $56 million for libraries world-wide). As a share of GDP, Carnegie's total donation to U.S. libraries is about equal to the current $7.2 billion U.S. broadband stimulus package...

ARRIS offers support to cable operators applying for broadband stimulus funding

May 28, 2009

ARRIS announced today a complete offering to assist cable operators in preparing their applications for Broadband Stimulus funds through the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) program. The recently-announced American Reinvestment & Recovery Act (ARRA) contains provisions that encourage cable operators to apply for grants, loans and guarantees to assist them in deploying un-served and under-served communities for broadband access.

ARRIS, a supplier of broadband access equipment with over 50 years of experience designing and deploying hardware and software solutions, offers a comprehensive portfolio that enables broadband operators to build wireline and wireless infrastructures and support broadband services that fully meet the requirements and intent of the ARRA's broadband provisions. ARRIS also offers comprehensive services to operators in preparing and submitting their applications to the Department of Agriculture for access to the RUS funding...

Lee County could get broadband Internet

May 28, 2009

Keokuk, IA - For years, business, political and economic leaders in Lee County have dreamed of fast, reliable, affordable and county-wide high-speed Internet access. But now, thanks to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which was signed by President Barack Obama earlier this year, the dream may become a reality.

The $787 billion in stimulus funds includes $4.7 billion in one-time competitive matching grants for the expansion of broadband Internet access to underserved and unserved areas...

Federal stimulus money will help broadband expansion

May 26, 2009

NEW SALEM, Mass. (abc40)-- Governor Patrick says the state hopes to use federal stimulus money to expand high speed internet access across the entire commonwealth. On Tuesday, the governor brought his message to the small rural town of New Salem.

He held an open forum and heard from residents who are frustrated by lack of adequate high speed internet service...

The Economic Stimulus: It’s all about doing more

May 27, 2009

During his January 20 inauguration speech, Barack Obama pledged: “We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together.”

Nearly a month later, the newly elected 44th president of the United States signed into law the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). The purpose of the new legislation, otherwise known as “Economic Stimulus Act,” is straightforward: Jumpstart the economy by creating jobs through temporary federal funding of projects that invest in our nation’s future; and from a telecommunications perspective, fund broadband deployment that delivers on the longtime promise of providing enhanced broadband services to all Americans...

Read the Fine Print -- Broadband Stimulus Funds NOT Delayed

05/22/2009 13:26

Thank goodness for a long weekend. Tara Seals and I have spent the past – what, two weeks? – writing about different aspects of the broadband stimulus. I’m at the “just distribute the darn money!” point. Well, and there’s the apparent rub. I got an e-mail yesterday stating broadband stimulus money won’t start flowing until December, when, the e-mail said, officials promised the first distribution round this summer.

There also are various blogs this week stating the broadband grants have been “quietly delayed” because the Commerce Department, which will distribute broadband stimulus funds through the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), plans to award a contract for “grants program support” by June 30.

People, read the fine print. A contract for “grants program support” is not a round of funding for broadband buildouts. It’s a contract for outsourcing, for getting bodies to help determine which of the thousands of grants applications should receive broadband stimulus dollars...

Electronic patient records will force consolidation in health care - Bits Blog - NYTimes.com

May 28, 2009

The Obama administration’s ambitious plan to accelerate the adoption of electronic patient records will be a “steamroller” that drives the consolidation of the health technology industry and threatens many small physician practices, predicts Leonard M. Fuld, head of a large competitive-intelligence firm.

In an interview on Wednesday, Mr. Fuld summarized the conclusions of a “war game” his firm organized last month, “The Battle for Healthcare Information,” and added some postgame observations of his own...

Funding may slow Internet expansion - Brattleboro Reformer

May 28, 2009

BRATTLEBORO -- With the help of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act -- otherwise known as the Obama stimulus package -- all Vermonters might soon have access to high-speed broadband.

The state plans on applying for at least $50 million for broadband expansion, said Tom Evslin, the chief recovery officer for the state's Office of Economic Stimulus and Recovery.
"If we had $50 million landing on our doorstep, we could make sure that every Vermont resident has good broadband," he said.

There's only one problem, said Evslin. Release of the funds has been postponed from September to December 2009...

PA reaches out in advance of broadband stimulus bid

May 26, 2009

(Harrisburg) -- Pennsylvania officials are reaching out to communications companies across the commonwealth, in an effort to coordinate a bid for federal stimulus funding aimed at increasing broadband access. $7.2 billion will go toward improving Internet access, and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration will distribute the majority of it.

Pennsylvania Office of Administration Deputy Secretary Charles Brennan says grant details are still being worked out...

Rural broadband should be as available as telephone, FCC says | Sharon Fisher | Community Blogs | NewWest.Net

May 27, 2009

“Universal service” should encompass broadband Internet access in the same way that it originally encompassed telephone access, according to a new report from the Federal Communications Commission to Congress.

The report, Bringing Broadband to Rural America: Report on a Rural Broadband Strategy, is written by Michael Copps, acting chairman of the FCC. It was written for Congress as a preliminary step for a national broadband plan, due in 2010, and as a requirement from the 2008 Farm Bill...

Rural America has broadband — or not — says FCC - Real Time Economics - WSJ

May 27, 2009

With $7.2 billion in stimulus money at stake, much has been made of how little broadband Internet service is available in rural America. But a new report from the government agency in charge of devising a national Internet strategy says it doesn’t really know how much of rural America is actually wired.

“We would like to answer this question definitively,” the Federal Communications Commission said in a report released Wednesday. “Regrettably we cannot. The (FCC) and other federal agencies simply have not collected the comprehensive and reliable data needed to answer this question...”

Copps touts rural broadband report - Telecom News Wire

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Concluding that all rural Americans must have the opportunity to reap the full benefits of broadband services, Acting Federal Communications Commission Chairman Michael J. Copps released a report today providing a starting point for the development of policies to deliver broadband to rural areas and restore economic growth and opportunity for Americans residing and working in those areas.

Recognizing that the need for broadband in rural America is becoming ever-more critical, Congress in the 2008 Farm Bill required the FCC Chairman, in coordination with the Secretary of the Department of Agriculture, to submit a report to Congress describing a rural broadband strategy. Entitled “Bringing Broadband to Rural America: Report on a Rural Broadband Strategy,” the report by Acting Chairman Copps identifies common problems affecting rural broadband, including technological challenges, lack of data, and high network costs, and offers some recommendations to address those problems...

ACA: Video key to rural broadband

May 27, 2009

PITTSBURGH -- Comment by American Cable Association president and CEO Matthew M. Polka

The American Cable Association applauds Federal Communications Commission acting chairman Michael Copps for producing today's comprehensive report on ways to develop America's first rural broadband strategy.

“ACA agrees that a rural broadband strategy must address middle-mile connectivity. Many small and medium-sized broadband providers can’t offer their rural customers high-speed Internet access at reasonable prices when the Internet backbone service providers are overcharging them for their low-capacity, middle-mile pipes...

Free webinar - Winning stimulus strategies: Enhance your application with wireless

Sponsors: Harris Stratex Networks
Host: Neil Hollingum, Independent Analyst, Light Reading; Stuart Little, Director of Corporate Marketing, Harris Stratex; Thomas Cohen, Partner, Kelley Drye & Warren
Date: Wednesday, June 03, 2009
Time: 2:00 p.m. New York / 7:00 p.m. London
Overview:
When it comes to securing broadband stimulus funds, network providers are currently faced with some fairly uncertain circumstances. Challenged with navigating through the uncertain fund allocation process, operators continue to struggle with determining how to write a convincing and winning application and choosing the right solution, technology, and vendor to best suit their specific need. This Webinar will provide an analysis of best technologies for implementation of stimulus-related projects while offering organizations such as state and local governments, utilities, public safety providers, and rural carriers sample case studies to ensure most practical implementations.

FCC develops strategy for rural broadband | Politics and Law - CNET News

May 27, 2009

Acting FCC Chairman Michael Copps released a report on broadband strategy for rural America on Wednesday. The report was mandated as part of the 2008 Farm Bill. In that bill Congress asked the Federal Communications Commission to work with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to submit "a report describing a comprehensive rural broadband strategy."

The emphasis on forming a rural broadband strategy came several months before President Obama took office. Obama also sees broadband as a priority and included funding for broadband development as part of the stimulus package passed by Congress earlier this year...

Omnicity maps out major expansion with AfterImage GIS

Rushville, Indiana - May 27, 2009 - Omnicity Corp (OTCBB: OMCY) continues to move forward in its nationwide expansion plan and has partnered with Afterimage GIS to map out major new territories for growth and efficiency. Omnicity, in their first quarter as a publicly held company, has tripled in size through acquisition and is focused on their 17,000 square mile coverage area to increase their customer base through internal growth.

The partnership with Afterimage GIS gives Omnicity the marketing and planning tool that is key to more fully understanding the markets they serve as well as more precisely defining important elements of the markets where the Company plans to grow. Greg Jarman, COO of Omnicity commented, "We look forward to working with another Indiana based company and we are very impressed with the management team at Afterimage GIS. They bring many years of wireless experience and their 3-D mapping solution will allow us to grow into our neighboring states of Kentucky, Ohio, Michigan and Illinois much more efficiently..."

Open range to deploy rural WiMax network :: Cable360

May 27, 2009

Well before the election of Barack Obama as president and the initiation of a national broadband stimulus plan, a Denver-based wireless broadband provider, Open Range Communications, was quietly working to deploy a major broadband network.

In March 2008, the United States Department of Agriculture's Rural Development Utilities Program (RDUP) approved a $267 million loan for Open Range with the stipulation that private financing also be secured, according to an Open Range statement...

Obama's stimulus: First 100 days, 'spin?': The Swamp

May 27, 2009

In the first 100 days of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act -- a.k.a. the $787-billion economic stimulus act -- the White House maintains that 150,000 jobs already have been saved or created.

The GOP, whose House members unanimously opposed the act which the president signed into law on Feb. 17, calls the initiative "100 days of haste...''

FCC Report: Net neutrality important to rural residents - PC World

May 27, 2009

The U.S. must preserve an open Internet in order to bring the full benefit of broadband to rural areas of the U.S., a Federal Communications Commission report on rural broadband said.

Without net neutrality protections, broadband users won't see as much innovation as possible on the Internet, said the report, released Wednesday by FCC acting Chairman Michael Copps...

Stimulus means big bucks for wireless

ABI Research says the government will spend $6.8 billion for “wireless communications upgrades and new deployments” over the next two years, providing “a significant one-off opportunity for wireless equipment vendors.”

ABI analyst Stan Schatt estimates that roughly $1.07 billion of the money will be spent on upgrades or deployments of Wi-Fi services. Tech companies, telecom companies and ISPs will compete for broadband grants that will be administered by both the National Telecommunications and Information Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture...

Susan Crawford: "Simply put, a digital economy requires fiber."

The quote I used above as the title of this post may be the single most exciting thing I've ever read coming out of the government about the future of broadband.

To help frame it, Susan Crawford's official title is special assistant to the president for science, technology and innovation policy and a member of the National Economic Council. But to put a finer point on it she's been described to me as the point person in the White House on broadband, in particular helping coordinate the NTIA, RUS, and FCC on their broadband stimulus plans...

Federal money to help spread broadband - WCAX.COM Local Vermont News, Weather and Sports-

May 27, 2009

MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) - Some $30 million to $70 million in federal stimulus money should help the state move closer to its goal of having cellular phone and broadband Internet access everywhere within its borders by the end of next year.

That's according to Vermont officials monitoring federal stimulus money set aside for improvements to the nation's communications infrastructure...

NTIA: Broadband stimulus funding: - Office of Sponsored Research and Programs Blog - Missouri State University

As we wait for the National Telecommunications and Information Administration,(NTIA), U.S. Department of Commerce to announce the availability of the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program, let us look at key points of the program that can serve as a guide to what our focus should be.

What we know is that colleges are leading the charge for the broadband funding opportunity with the hope they can “claim the money and shape the national network policy”. The Broadband initiative is through the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) that seeks to bring the benefits of broadband to rural and underserved communities...

Broadband stimulus grants soon

May 15, 2009

At a meeting at the White House on May 14, Ed DeSeve, Vice President Biden’s lead on the American Recovery and Re-Investment Act told representatives of the “Big Seven” (organizations representing state and local government) that the guidance for the Broadband Technology Opportunity Program (BTOP) grants would be available on June 22.

The BTOP program, administered by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) has $7.2 billion to deploy broadband to unserved and underserved areas of the country...

Favorable signals for Vermont broadband: Times Argus Online

May 27, 2009

MONTPELIER – Vermont could see between $30 million to $70 million in federal stimulus dollars boost its ambitious plan for universal high-speed Internet access by the end of next year, and companies are already lining up with possible projects.

Later this summer, the National Telecommunications and Information Agency and the Rural Utilities Services are expected to begin accepting proposals for billions of dollars in high-speed Internet and mobile data grant and loans. And while the federal rules on how those funds will be allocated are not yet written, Vermont wants to be first in line to best take advantage of the money...

Financing options emerge as part of vendors’ Recovery Act tool kit - CivSource

May 27, 2009

Top government contractors are chomping at the bit to help recipients cash-in on the stimulus package. Industry heavyweights like Accenture, EDS and IBM, are focusing efforts on multiple areas such as smart electricity grids, intelligent transportation, health IT, tax administration and state welfare initiatives.

Other companies like Microsoft, Deloitte and CSC also have offerings to help state and local agencies keep pace with the torrent of reporting requirements associated with Recovery Act funds. And just recently, Unisys launched a Reporting Solutions tool and Perot Systems released ARRA Readiness Assessment - a solution aimed at electronic health records...

Obama adviser looks at U.S.-built broadband network

May 26, 2009

A senior adviser to President Obama is touting the idea of spending tens of billions of dollars in public funds to build a nationwide, state-of-the-art broadband network featuring speeds 100 times faster than today's technology.

While there has been no formal Obama administration commitment to such infrastructure investment, Susan Crawford, special assistant to the president for science, technology and innovation policy, has said she is "personally intrigued" by an ambitious plan by Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd...

FCC's rural broadband report expected to be released

5/26/2009

The FCC is expected Wednesday to release a report it gave to Congress last week on a rural broadband rollout strategy, according to several FCC sources. Congress asked the FCC to come up with the rural strategy, in concert with the Department of Agriculture, in the 2008 Farm Bill.

Acting FCC Chairman Michael Copps sought comment on the plan back in March, pointing out it was long-overdue...

Build American and they will come | Telephony Online

May 26, 2009

President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) on February 17th. Of the $787 billion appropriated by the ARRA, $7.2 billion will put in motion a plan and a program to extend broadband to reach all American communities, beginning with those that are deemed to be "un-served" and "under-served".

Since the ARRA was signed into law, the telecommunications industry's "field of dreams" has sprouted with webinars, seminars, whitepapers, commentary and suggestions about who should get the money, how to get it and how it should be spent...

Wireless communications sector will reap huge benefit from $6.8 billion stimulus bill funding - FierceWireless

May 26, 2009

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA, also known simply as the Stimulus Bill) will provide funding for a massive $6.8 billion worth of wireless communications upgrades and new deployments over 2009-2010. The Act offers a significant one-off opportunity for wireless equipment vendors, an opportunity that is examined in depth by a new study from ABI Research.

"The ARRA represents a windfall for wireless service providers as well as for satellite service providers," comments vice president Stan Schatt. "It will have an enormous impact on Wi-Fi and wireless broadband vendors. It will also immediately benefit a number of specific vertical industries including healthcare, education, homeland security, the environment, and the nation's electricity infrastructure..."

What will we do with all this broadband? « Knight Center Community Connection

May 26, 2009

Those of us who have Internet access already know what to do with it. We e-mail. We shop. We search for jobs and information.

But what about the roughly one-third of Americans who don’t have Internet service, and may not have a clue what they’d do with it if they did? The more than $7 billion in federal stimulus money for broadband networks is meant to serve this group.

But what will currently unserved Americans do with all this broadband?...

Cities are being encouraged to use online tools to assist in stabilizing foreclosures | Speed Matters – Internet Speed Test

May 20, 2009

While states across the country are beginning the applications process for broadband funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the city of Los Angeles is providing an example of how high-speed Internet can help solve other problems addressed by the economic stimulus bill.

In July 2007, Los Angeles was allocated $32.8 million from Congress in the first round of National Stabilization Programs (NSP) funds. Los Angeles city officials used some of the money for purchasing assistance and home rehabilitation loans for buyers in priority areas, defined by high rates of unemployment, subprime loans, and foreclosures. But information about these priority areas and the locations of foreclosed homes was inefficiently compiled and clumsily made available to the interested public...

Speed really does matter to Washington state | Speed Matters – Internet Speed Test

May 20, 2009

Thanks to two years of intense effort by the Communications Workers of America (CWA) Speed Matters campaign in Washington state, the Washington State legislature unanimously passed and Governor Christine Gregoire signed HB 1701 aimed at increasing both access to and adoption of broadband.

The Washington Department of Information Services is tasked with implementing the legislation, designed to accomplish the following:

* Create a Washington state data collection and mapping initiative;
* Establish Community Technology Opportunity Programs;
* Reestablish the high-speed internet workgroup, renamed the Advisory Council on Digital Inclusion, to oversee the expansion of broadband in Washington;
* Designate an agency as an entity for application purposes of the Broadband Data Improvement Act P.L. 110-385; and
* Designate a state agency to implement broadband policy and services...

Bringing WiMAX to the Navajo reservation - FierceBroadbandWireless

May 25, 2009

Long before anyone talked of federal stimulus money for rural broadband deployments, there was Sacred Wind Communications--a small incumbent local exchange carrier in New Mexico that has found and continues to look for innovative ways to connect the thousands of remote homes in the state's Navajo reservation with both basic telephone service and high-speed Internet access.

John Badal, Sacred Wind's chief executive officer, served as president of Qwest New Mexico in the early 2000s. His biggest challenge was trying to bring basic telephone service to the Navajo Nation, the largest federally recognized tribe in the United States and whose area encompasses 27,000 square miles in Utah, Arizona and New Mexico. Laying copper cable throughout the rugged desert area to connect a relatively small number of people who couldn't afford to pay much for service wasn't economically feasible...

ATLANTIC-ACM president to lend expertise in wholesale telecom and related broadband stimulus issues for telcos at ITW 2009

May 26, 2009

ATLANTIC-ACM today announced that the firm's president, Fedor Smith, will moderate a panel addressing broadband stimulus and wholesale issues Wednesday, June 3, at 2 p.m. EDT at International Telecoms Week 2009 (ITW 2009). The panel, titled "Stimulus for Networks: Understanding the Broadband Stimulus Package and the Opportunities for U.S. Telcos," addresses issues including understanding the "Stimulus for Networks" initiative, related demand for data and application-intensive services, FTTH business case assessment, opportunity identification for new markets including voice, data, video and mobile backhaul, and overall implications for wholesalers...

Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) forecasts 3.1% loss for ICT industry in 2009

May 26, 2009

For the first time in its 23 years of forecasting for the information and communications technology (ICT) industry, the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) is projecting a 3.1 percent decline in revenue for the overall global ICT market in 2009 due to global economic conditions. In the U.S., revenue will suffer a 5.5 percent decline in 2009.

At a press conference held today, TIA released the 2009 ICT Market Review & Forecast, TIA's annual market intelligence report filled with data and analysis. (Watch a Webcast recording that includes the narrated presentation and a question and answer session...)

Cities split over municipal broadband service

May 26, 2009

Internet technology is developing so rapidly that New Albany officials say the broadband system they plan to fire up next month wasn't even invented when they started laying the groundwork for it two years ago. About a decade after Dublin completed its broadband system, another wave of communities is hitting the "on" switch for systems or at least hiring consultants to look at the feasibility.

Partly fueling the interest: $4.7 billion of the federal stimulus package that is earmarked for the technology...

Jury out on Obama telecom policy, but broadband stimulus gives hope

May 26, 2009

Roughly four months into President Barack Obama's administration, telecoms are still uncertain of how friendly his administration will be, but regional operators across the US are gearing up plans to take advantage of the $7.2 billion broadband stimulus fund.

The jury is still out for telcos because Obama's telecom-related nominees are not in place yet...

Broadband stimulus – A $7.2 billion opportunity guide for CWA Leaders : WiFi-WiMAX

Overview

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (the economic stimulus bill) allocates $7.2 billion for broadband grants. Competition for this money will be fierce. The timeline is short. The Obama Administration hopes to have the final rules written and requests for proposals out in early April. Governors, companies, and community groups are already putting together plans for this funding.

The purpose of this memo is to suggest ways to work with our employers and governors to encourage grant proposals that create and retain union jobs...

Broadband stimulus funding – Opportunities, pitfalls, and choices in - GLG News

May 25, 2009

It would be surprising if only the “best” projects were to win what is expected to be intense competition for broadband stimulus funds, but one can always hope. The most important question to answer is what projects would deliver the best outcomes from these public expenditures to extend broadband coverage for rural America and for the country as a whole.

Special interest politics and whom you know, not just what you know and whether you can deliver results most efficiently and effectively, will inevitably play a significant role in the selection of projects to receive broadband stimulus funds. Nevertheless, here are a few thoughts about points to keep in mind when considering what projects are likely to deliver the most bang for the buck expanding affordable broadband coverage, and delivering value for purposes such as health care, education, creating employment, and meeting the needs of businesses as well as government services and other institutions in rural America...

Local government groups working together on broadband projects -- baltimoresun.com

May 25, 2009

A regional web of fiber-optic cable would spread from Maryland's Eastern Shore to its western mountains under a plan by local governments to tap federal stimulus money for communications expansions. If the effort is successful, it could mean $100 million or more flowing into Maryland, out of a $7.2 billion chunk of federal money set aside for fiber-optic projects.

Working separately, two groups of local governments are working to snare their share of funds, which officials said could create networks that would be cheaper than buying the service from private companies...

Colorado wants stimulus money for broadband - KJCT8.com - Grand Junction, Montrose - Weather, News, Sports |

May 24, 2009

DENVER (AP) - Details of how $7.2 billion in federal stimulus money will be awarded to extend high-speed Internet around the country are still being decided, but Colorado is already taking steps to apply for funds.

One of the first steps is mapping where broadband access in Colorado is limited. The map is expected to be complete in August. Washington's push for cheaper, widely available broadband service has its challenges, from creating demand to making it financially worthwhile for providers. Some of the federal funds will boost computing capacity at community colleges and libraries...

Colorado wants stimulus money for broadband - Examiner.com

May 24, 2009

DENVER - Before Glenwood Springs installed its own fiber network for high-speed Internet access, some businesses got by with connections barely above dial-up speeds.

"You used to have to set things up to send in the middle of the night and hopefully they'd be gone by morning," said Bruce Christensen, mayor of this Colorado River resort city of about 8,500 people...

Local forums to implement high-speed networks (broadband): proposal open for votes - O'Reilly Radar

May 24, 2009

I've posted a proposal titled Local forums to implement high-speed networks (broadband) to a forum on open government put up by the White House. I ask this blog's readers to tell other people who might be interested, and vote up the proposal if you like it.

The Open Government Dialog site where this proposal appears is part of the White House's implementation of the Memorandum on Transparency and Open Government that Obama signed on his first day in office. Hundreds of ideas have already been posted. Many are very specific and some look quite worthy, but I think mine stands out for the reasons listed in my justification...

Community Benefits Agreement for communitywide networks « Blandin on Broadband

May 23, 2009

Last week I had the opportunity to talk to Sheldon Mains about his work with the community benefits agreement in Minneapolis. Sheldon is a friend who helps nonprofits and foundation use technology wisely. In April he posted a blog on the history of the Community Benefits Agreement in the Wireless Minneapolis Project.

The quick, loose take is – a community benefits agreement (CBA) is traditionally used in real estate where developers commit to certain concessions in exchange building permission. The folks in Minneapolis were smart enough to think about a CBA when talking to US Internet about the communitywide wireless contract. (Again read Sheldon’s post for the details.)...

Measuring the effectiveness of the broadband stimulus plan | BroadbandCensus.com

May 23, 2009

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 charges government agencies not only with choosing grant recipients and setting performance bench marks, but also with measuring their results, which only a carefully pre-planned evaluation strategy will enable them to do.

That was the message of a recent paper, “Measuring the Effectiveness of the Broadband Stimulus Plan,” by Scott Wallsten, vice president for research at the Technology Policy Institute. Wallsten played a role in coordinating the “71 Concerned Economists” comment to the Commerce Department’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration. The comment is listed in the BroadbandCensus.com List of NTIA Comments...

States roll out plans for 'smarter' roads

May 21, 2009

Not all the highway improvement projects states plan to pay for with federal stimulus money involve widening roads, fixing bridges or repaving highways. Nearly half the states plan to use some of their new funds to pay for high-tech gadgets that will reduce congestion, help the environment and create jobs quickly.

At least 22 states have told the federal government they want to make their roads "smarter" by installing traffic cameras, creating express toll lanes, improving traffic signals and alerting drivers about accidents or delays ahead, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures...

FCC's broadband plan may miss out on stimulus - Geeked About Gadgets!

April 8, 2009

The Federal Communications Commission will embark today on a nearly year-long project aimed at bringing high-speed Internet to every U.S. home, a process that many hope will bring an agency long focused on arcane telephone rules into the digital age.

But by the time the FCC creates its plan for broadband, it is likely that Internet service providers will have claimed much of the $7.2 billion in stimulus funds set aside to build high-speed networks without major input from the agency. And that has some worried that the Obama administration's call to wire the nation risks having taxpayer money going toward projects that are not needed and have been created without clear guidelines...

NTIA rolling out first broadband stimulus grants in Q4 | Infrastructure | ITBusinessEdge.com

May 22, 2009

The National Telecommunications & Information Administration (NTIA) announced that it will begin accepting grant applications in June and hand out the first broadband stimulus grants during the fourth quarter of 2009, reports Broadcasting & Cable.

Earlier this year, the NTIA had hoped to begin accepting grants in April and start rolling out broadband in June, says GigaOm. The delay is expected to benefit larger cities and municipal efforts. The NTIA has yet to publish the rules for governing the distribution of the $4.7 billion in grants...

Dayton poverty groups receive $4M in stimulus funds - Dayton Business Journal:

May 20, 2009

The flow of stimulus dollars to the state of Ohio continues, as nearly $40 million in funding was awarded Friday from the Community Services Block Grant Program — through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

The funds, administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, will be allocated to local community action agencies toward employment, emergency services and a variety of activities to combat poverty...

Silicon Valley VCs don't want Obama's money, think Google is passe | Webware - CNET

May 21, 2009

I always enjoy wild hand-wavey prognostications about the future, so I was pleased to attend the 11th annual Churchill Club Top Tech Trends event last night, moderated by my former co-workers from Red Herring, Tony Perkins (now running Always On) and Jason Pontin (publisher of MIT Technology Review). Of the 12 trends, two really made me take notice. Most of the rest, which you can see at the end of this story, were pretty standard projections from existing market circumstances...

Spending like a drunken sailor: Harder than it looks

May 22, 2009

Broadband stimulus dollars are on hold for now. The reason? It is not possible to spend lots of money both wisely and quickly:

One of the federal agencies responsible for administering $4.7 billion in broadband stimulus grants has quietly delayed its plans to approve and distribute money under its program. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration late last week issued a statement noting that it will accept grant applications in September and aims to distribute its first grants in December. However, in a March meeting it had said it hoped to accept grants in April and May and start delivering the first round of funding in June. . .

Some details on BTOP stimulus money « Blandin on Broadband

May 22, 2009

The Feds have supplied more information on the stimulus funding aka the Broadband Technology Opportunities Programs (BTOP) Recovery Plan. Well, by more I don’t mean a lot. They have outlined the timing:

Procurement for Grants Program Assistance Services March – June 2009
Award Contract for Grants Program Support June 2009
Preparation for Initial Solicitation for Proposals April – June 2009
Publish Notice of Funds Availability June 2009*
Initial Proposal Processing and Review Sept – Dec. 2009
Initial Grant Awards Made December 2009
Second Solicitation for Proposals Oct – Dec 2009
Third Solicitation for Proposals April – June 2010
All Awards to Be Made September 2010

NTIA stimulus award schedule delayed - FierceTelecom

May 22, 2009

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration, which will be responsible for awarding about $4.7 billion worth of the $7.2 billion in broadband stimulus funds has delayed its submission and grant schedule by a few months. GigaOM apparently was the first publication to notice that the NTIA has shifted the date it will begin to award funds. In an announcement late last week, the agency said it would accept grant applications in September and begin awarding funds in December, contradicting a previous statement released two months ago that said the first funding distributions could come as early as June...

States eager for broadband stimulus funds - Mass High Tech Business News

May 15, 2009

In what could arguably be called an infrastructure initiative, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act includes some $7.2 billion aimed at improving the nation’s broadband access, particularly in rural areas.

The allotment falls into two groups — $2.5 billion will be dispersed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, while $4.7 billion will be controlled by the U.S. Department of Commerce. Under both programs, the effort will be aimed at bringing broadband coverage and other Internet-based services to unserved and underserved regions of the country.

NTIA grant schedule published with June 30 due date; Cash will flow in December | BroadbandCensus.com

May 22, 2009

The White House quietly announced the schedule for the broadband grants issued by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration under the economic stimulus package signed into law in February.

The filing confirmed the NTIA’s commitment to release the “Notice of Funds Availability,” together with final rules for the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program grants, by June 30, 2009...

Broadband stimulus fund timetable - First stimulus funds available Q4 2009 - dslreports.com

May 22, 2009

The Recovery.gov website indicates that Uncle Sam has moved the timeline for broadband stimulus funds forward somewhat, though the first set of grants will be doled out early during the fourth quarter, and all of the awarded money to be delivered by September 2010. The NTIA will dole out $4.5 billion in government funds to help deliver broadband into under or unserved areas. Another $2.5 billion will be handed out by the Department of Agriculture's Rural Utilities Service (RUS) grant program, which for some time has been tasked with giving loans to markets where 75% of the area is rural without sufficient broadband access...

State’s colleges scramble for stimulus - Business First of Columbus:

May 22, 2009

Spring is always a hectic time for Ohio colleges as warm weather presages year-end exams and graduations, but this year has been frenetic on many campuses.

For the past several months, researchers, faculty and staff have been hastily writing research grant applications to get a piece of the $787 billion federal stimulus package. Those involved in coordinating the efforts have been busy providing information, reviewing grants and keeping track of deadlines...

Pennsylvania seeking public input on broadband stimulus

May 21, 2009

Pennsylvania is requesting public comments on how the state can best use federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds to deploy broadband throughout the state.

Three public meetings are scheduled between now and Wednesday, June 3rd, according to the office of governor Edward Rendell. Residents can attend the meetings or submit comments in writing...

Bellamy bringing the broadband? :: Scrutiny Hooligans

Hunter Goosmann, the management mastermind behind the ERC’s regional broadband service, twittered a link to stimulus money dedicated to expanding broadband access:

Schedule and Milestones

Procurement for Grants Program Assistance Services March – June 2009
Award Contract for Grants Program Support June 2009
Preparation for Initial Solicitation for Proposals April – June 2009
Publish Notice of Funds Availability June 2009*
Initial Proposal Processing and Review Sept – Dec. 2009
Initial Grant Awards Made December 2009
Second Solicitation for Proposals Oct – Dec 2009
Third Solicitation for Proposals April – June 2010
All Awards to Be Made September 2010
Milestone Completion Date
Award Contract for Grants Program Support 06/30/2009
Initial Grant Awards Made 12/31/2009
All Awards to Be Made 09/30/2010...

Vermont stimulus - Bennington Banner

May 21, 2009

Evslin said the state is set to receive $720 million from the bill as part of funding formulas. Evslin said that money is more or less a guarantee, unless the state makes a mistake. He said the state has more discretion with $17 million in Government Service Funds.

He said these are the funds that there is some disagreement between Gov. Jim Douglas and the Legislature on how to use the service funds. Evslin said the governor favors using the money for economic stimulus, while the Legislature would like to use it to fix holes in the budget...

Stimulus a windfall for school's arts center | Charlottesville Daily Progress

May 22, 2009

Federal economic stimulus money will provide Charlottesville schools with a windfall to make technology improvements and a range of upgrades to the division’s performing arts center.

The division’s administration says officials expect to receive roughly $2.1 million in stimulus cash for the next fiscal year, which begins July 1. A similar amount is expected for the following year...

TIA: US broadband equipment market to shrink 36% over next 3 years

May 21, 2009

Despite the expectation of broadband stimulus funds from the federal government in the coming months, US spending on access equipment should fall 27% this year and keep declining for the next two years before springing back to growth, according to a report released today by the Telecommunications Industry Association.

That report -- in which the TIA predicted, for the first time ever, a global telecom industry decline this year (a 3.1% drop followed by 1.2% growth next year) -- projected access equipment spending declines of 9.8% in 2010 and 3.2% in 2011, followed by 18.2% growth in 2012. All told, the domestic broadband equipment market will shrink by more than $3.2 billion (or 36%) over the next three years, TIA said...

Who'll call the shots in net, telecom regulation? - InternetNews.com

May 21, 2009

WASHINGTON -- Divining the regulatory future of the Internet, media and telecom industries at this point is a little like looking into a telescope with a blurry lens.

Nevertheless, Dick Wiley, a former chairman of the Federal Communications Commission and the founder of the prominent Washington law firm Wiley Rein, gave it a shot, with a notable caveat...

Senate committee approves U.S. CTO, NTIA nominees - FierceTelecom

May 21, 2009

The Senate Commerce Committee approved, without fanfare or much visible debate, President Obama's choices for the new position of national chief technology officer and for the leadership of the National Telecommunication and Information Administration. Aneesh Chopra was approved for the CTO slot, and Larry Strickling passed muster for the head position at NTIA, the formal title of which is assistant secretary- designate telecommunications and information, NTIA, U.S. Department of Commerce, according to Broadcasting & Cable...

BTOP schedule and milestones published | MuniWireless

May 19, 2009

The Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) Recovery Plan has just published its schedule for awarding grants (under the NTIA) and it looks like applicants will have to draft those grant applications very quickly. Initial grant awards will be made by 31 December 2009 but note that the initial proposal processing and review will take place between September and December 2009. All awards must be made by 30 September 2010...

More federal stimulus comes to New Mexico

May 21, 2009

Kate Nash has a cool story in the Santa Fe New Mexican today that includes links to multiple Web sites that people can use to track where the federal stimulus cash is being spent. And, unlike many newspapers, the Santa Fe New Mexican site actually links to the websites in question. Other sites like the New York Times (just the reported news, the editorials and opinion columns do contain links) don’t include links even when they are referring to certain Web sites.

And New Mexico will be having a lot of stimulus cash coming into the state, according to the Albuquerque Journal: More than $3 billion...

Australia's national broadband debate continues - FierceTelecom

May 21, 2009

As the U.S. seeks to elevate its own national broadband image through stimulus and other legislative and regulatory activities, one of the globe's hottest national broadband debates is occurring Down Under. The Australian government has, despite much criticism, continued to tout plans for its National Broadband Network (NBN) project that will use fiber-to-the-premise technology.

The role that national incumbent telco Telstra could play in the project has been uncertain, though Telstra's recent naming of a government-friendly CEO was thought to improve its chances to participate in the NBN...

More competition in rural markets likely

May 21, 2009

Whatever else might happen with the broadband stimulus program, odds are that the spending of those funds will increase the amount of competition in rural markets. The reason is simple enough: cable, mobile and fixed wireless service providers are likely to apply for grants under the programs, and it is likely some will receive funding.

The American Cable Association, an industry group for small independent cable operators, probably will make a fairly significant play for funds. To be sure, many rural telcos also run separate cable system operations. But even where an in-region telco gets funds to support its in-region cable operation, increased broadband access from the cable unit will dampen demand for telco-provided broadband...

State lacks link to report abuse of stimulus funds Columbus Dispatch Politics

May 21, 2009

Ohioans who want to report fraud or waste as the state spends millions in federal stimulus money might have a hard time figuring out whom to call.

The state is one of 36 that have no guidelines on their recovery-tracking Web sites for reporting abuse, according to the Project on Government Oversight, an independent nonprofit group in Washington, D.C., that investigates government corruption...

Recovery Act funds for libraries or I have broadband, I need faster broadband

May 21, 2009

President Obama's intention for the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA) is to find ways to stimulate the economy. Many libraries qualify for existing grants (even though no money has been provided just for libraries.)

The real trick is often finding a local federal office and working with them to get funding. If you know the right local federal agency, the right grant, and apply it to the right project, there are huge benefits...

Broadband stimulus: Let's give them something to talk about

May 21, 2009

Recently I wrote a post lamenting the unintended consequences of the broadband stimulus, responding to stories I'd heard of projects that could be deploying today but instead have decided to hold off in the hopes of getting free government money.

But in that post I came off as overly negative, claiming that the stimulus may be causing more harm than good given that we're still months away from those dollars turning into deployment.

In response to this I've had a steady string of readers rebuking that sentiment because of one very important and very positive consequence of the broadband stimulus: it's getting everyone talking about broadband...

Voices of Power: Tom Vilsack

INTERVIEW OF TOM VILSACK, Secretary of Agriculture

May 21, 2009

Chapter 4 Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack talks about the state of rural America.

As we go out to rural communities, we are talking to them about the stimulus program, the Recovery and Reinvestment Act and what it is basically helping to do in rural America.

We talk about the fact that there are resources for broadband, expansion of broadband. There are resources for new housing opportunities, resources to deal with wastewater and water treatment issues, which are important in rural communities, as well as resources to help build everything from libraries and day care centers and fire stations to helping to equip the local police department with new squad cars--basically everything that can help build a strong, vibrant rural community...

Tracking stimulus spending may not be as easy as promised - washingtonpost.com

May 21, 2009

Shortly after the economic stimulus bill was signed, Vice President Biden was talking up the administration's Web site to track the spending, Recovery.gov, when he accidentally directed people to Recovery.org.

As slip-ups go, this one had an upside: Unlike the government site, the privately run Recovery.org is actually providing detailed information about how the $787 billion in stimulus money is being spent...

FCC moving ‘full speed ahead’ on broadband plan, says Copps | BroadbandCensus.com

WASHINGTON, May 20, 2009 - Though confirmation proceedings for his successor remain postponed, Acting Federal Communications Commission Chairman Michael Copps (D) isn’t slowing down in the drive to achieving one of his long-standing goals: a national broadband strategy for the United States.

“I’m enthused as I can be that this country is finally, finally going to develop a national broadband plan,” Copps said Wednesday in an interview for C-SPAN’s “The Communicators” series. The interview is set to air on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. ET...

Governor Rendell says PA still seeks public input on federal broadband stimulus funds

HARRISBURG, Pa., May 20

There is still time for the public to offer input on how Pennsylvania can best use federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds to deploy broadband throughout the state, Governor Edward G. Rendell said today. Three public meetings are scheduled between now and Wednesday, June 3, said the governor, who also noted that written comments may be submitted, as well.

"Ready access to high-speed, broadband Internet gives businesses an essential edge in today's highly competitive economic climate," Governor Rendell said. "High-speed Internet is a critical element for our businesses to compete in global markets and for our students to compete for the very best jobs...

Most businesses shouldn't expect stimulus, state officials say | Philly | 05/20/2009

Even $787 billion goes only so far. That was the somewhat downbeat message delivered yesterday to a group of tristate business leaders by the stimulus czars of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware.

Speaking to several dozen members of the Penjerdel Council at the National Constitution Center, Lt. Gov. Matthew Denn of Delaware said that many people incorrectly hold a mental picture of the government handing out "giant, Ed McMahon-sized checks" at every opportunity...

Expanding rural broadband - The Official KFVS12 and Heartland News Web Site |

BELL CITY, MO (KFVS) - For most of us, we can do a quick search for directions, check email, or even gett news and weather online with barely a wait. But for many rural Heartland residents, doing business online isn't as simple.

Often the only options are dial up, which can be slow, or satellite, which can be costly and unreliable...

Rural residents without high-speed Internet struggle to keep up

April 27, 2009

Doug King publishes his keyboard music online and his wife, Marjorie, sells home-made pottery to customers in Iceland, China and New Zealand. But doing business from their rural Dane County house is virtually impossible without high-speed Internet.

"We got to the point where we’re simply unable to do business" using the dial-up Internet their phone company provides, King said. The couple finally signed up for a wireless modem from Verizon, which in the last year has sought to build nine cell towers in rural Dane County to keep up with growing demand...

Chopra, Strickling ease through Senate hearings - InternetNews.com

May 19, 2009

WASHINGTON -- President Obama's nominee for the nation's first chief technology officer is getting his day in court. Two, in fact.

The Senate Commerce Committee today held a confirmation hearing to consider President Obama's nominations for a pair of key technology posts in the new administration, along with three other nominees for positions within its jurisdiction. Alas, owing to a busy day on the Senate floor and the absence of Committee Chairman John Rockefeller, the nominees fielded questions from a smattering of senators this morning before being dismissed with instructions to complete written questionnaires by 6 pm this evening, with the committee scheduled to vote at a meeting tomorrow...

Senate committee likely to OK Strickling as NTIA head, Chopra as CTO | BroadbandCensus.com

May 19, 2009

With little questioning or controversy, the Senate Commerce Committee appeared poised ready after a Tuesday hearing to submit to the full Senate for confirmation the nominations of two key technology officials in the Obama administration.

Lawrence Strickling has been nominated to be Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Telecommunications and Information, and head of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration...

Tech agency wants stimulus money for Internet projects | ajc.com

May 19, 2009

Georgia is one of the few states actively lining up projects to install high-speed Internet in rural parts of the state with the help of federal stimulus money, Georgia Technology Authority program director Rich Calhoun said this week.

The $787 billion federal stimulus package includes $7.2 billion to help add broadband Internet in rural America.

Rich Wonders, a vice president with Alcatel-Lucent, recently was in Atlanta as part of the company’s push for businesses, nonprofits and governments to start working on rural high-speed Internet projects that could receive stimulus dollars...

NTIA BTOP and USDA RUS guidelines posted

May 19, 2009

Some guideline updates were posted on the NTIA BTOP and USDA RUS websites for their ARRA Broadband Stimulus grant and loan programs for grants and loans...

Broadband stimulus update from California state officials: Does this impact other states?

May 18, 2009

Teri reported that in addition to meeting the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) requirements, CA programs should also focus on addressing recommendations that resulted from Governor Schwarzenegger's 2008 broadband task force. (Ed. Note: In addition to the recommendations, the state’s wireline and wireless broadband maps are also available on the task force website.) All recommendations will be looked at in light of that report.

The CIO is working with the CA Public Utilities Commissioner (PUC) on the CA recovery website...

Obama’s CTO nominee offers some thoughts - Washington Wire - WSJ

May 19, 2009

President Barack Obama’s pick to be the nation’s first chief technology officer, Virginia Secretary of Technology Aneesh Chopra, made his first public remarks on what he’d do in the new post during a Senate confirmation hearing Tuesday.

“We will apply the most innovative technologies to our most important challenges – bending the health care cost curve, optimizing the energy grid to reduce our dependence on foreign oil, delivering an educational system focused on student excellence with special emphasis on science, technology, engineering and mathematics, protecting our nation’s critical infrastructure, and building the high-wage, high-growth jobs in all corners of our country,” Chopra said during the hearing. (He was, as might guess from from that mouthful, reading prepared remarks...)

Bingham telecom lawyer outlines broadband stimulus

May 13, 2009

The economic stimulus law will provide billions of dollars in the next year to upgrade the nation’s broadband networks, and with that money will come a number of legal and regulatory requirements that grant winners must meet.

Andy Lipman, co-head of Bingham’s Telecommunications, Media and Technology Practice Group, discusses the broadband portion of the economic stimulus package and the legal implications it may have. Based in Washington, D.C., the practice is one of the largest in the world, with approximately 40 lawyers and professionals. Bingham lawyers have played a lead role in nearly every significant development in the communications industry in the United States and internationally in the past 30 years...

Cisco: Smart grid will be 1,000 times size of the Web - Dayton Business Journal:

May 18, 2009

Cisco Systems Inc. sees a $100 billion opportunity in communications equipment for upgrading aging electrical infrastructure to a digital smart grid, CNET reported.

The San Jose-based networking giant’s CEO John Chambers was in Boston Monday to speak at the J.P. Morgan Technology, Media and Telecom Conference, and he was expected to talk about the company’s opportunities in the smart grid...

Jackson IS thinking fiber! « Blandin on Broadband

May 18, 2009

Thanks to John Shepard for sending me the hardcopy (or scanned) article from the Jackson Pilot on Jackson’s plan for fiber. In February, the Jackson City Commissioners voted not to explore a fiber network for their area. Well in May, the Mayor has successfully wooed the city council to invest $1 per resident ($3500) towards a fiber plan.

So they have become the latest stimulus hopefuls. They have joined Lakefield, Heron Lake, Okabena and Windom in a quest for stimulus funding to bring broadband (fiber) to their area. The idea is to let Windom expand its network to the neighboring towns. So each community will not be maintaining their own service; they’ll draw on Windom’s expertise...

Libraries extending efforts to secure federal money for high-speed Internet | Speed Matters

May 15, 2009

As the need for high-speed Internet access grows, America's public libraries have begun to step up efforts to secure federal funding to upgrade their own network infrastructure.

Our public libraries provide vital services to low-income communities. From career counseling sessions to Internet access, more and more unemployed workers - most of them recently laid off - are taking advantage of jobs resources at the library. In fact, computer usage at libraries nationwide has skyrocketed...

Massachusetts governor files broadband legislation in preparation for stimulus funding | Speed Matters

May 15, 2009

On April 27, Governor Deval Patrick (D-MA) filed legislation in an attempt to prepare the Commonwealth's bid for federal stimulus funds. The proposed legislation makes changes to the current Massachusetts laws in order to comply with the strict provisions in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).

Most notably, Governor Patrick's legislation aims to position the state to adhere to ARRA's swift "use it or lose it" deadlines. States that do not meet these deadlines will lose funds, which will then be reallocated to other states...

It's official: No broadband will be stimulated this year (or will it?)

May 19, 2009

The first details of the BTOP program were recently released and are available on Recovery.gov.
While light on details, the most interesting insight found herein are the timelines for achieving milestones. Interesting and depressing, that is.

Why do I say "depressing"? For one primary reason: the initial grants aren't slated to be made until 12/31/2009. So much for this program being about "stimulating" broadband deployment quickly during an economic crisis...

Eshoo’s conduit bill is a great start « Knight Center Community Connection

May 19, 2009

Last Friday, U.S. Representative Anna Eshoo (D-California) introduced the Broadband Conduit Deployment Act which would require that when road construction projects are paid for with federal dollars, “an appropriate number” of broadband conduits must be laid down as part of the construction to “accommodate multiple broadband providers.” Requiring this of already planned construction projects will spare communities from having to tear up the roads a second time, resulting in lower overall costs of future upgrades to the nation’s broadband infrastructure.

In a press release, Eshoo said, “According to industry experts, more than half of the cost of new broadband deployment is attributable to the expense of tearing up and repaving roads. By putting the broadband conduit in place while the ground beneath the roadways is exposed, we will enable any authorized communications provider to come in later and install fiber-optic cable at far less cost...”

Map quest

May 14, 2009

When working at my first telecom reporting job in the early ‘90s, I was amazed when an inventory software outfit told me that phone companies frequently lacked detailed information as to what network assets they had and/or where it was located. As various service providers have built broadband networks in the years since, I feel certain that keeping track of network assets has vastly improved. But as a nation, we apparently still lack complete information relative to U.S. broadband availability and need.

Of course, the federal government is trying to address that issue. As part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), the NTIA has been charged with allocating $350 million of the $4.7 billion in broadband stimulus funds it will disperse to developing and maintaining a broadband inventory map. Still unclear, however, is just who will develop and maintain that map, or collection of maps, and precisely what kind of information said map(s) should include...

Show me the money

May 12, 2009

The Notice of Funds Availability (NoFA) for the broadband stimulus is expected next month. This document will detail the criteria for getting grants.

That means we will soon get some answers regarding such widely debated issues as what’s meant by broadband, unserved and underserved relative to the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP). Folks also expect to get clarity on the interconnection and open networks language in the broadband stimulus legislation. And NoFA should clear up the rules related to NTIA grant recipients’ 20 percent matching fund requirement...

Faster, cheaper, accessible: The future of U.S. Broad

It's hard to disagree with faster and cheaper when it comes to broadband Internet access (defined as 768 kbit/s and over), but how about just plain accessible? For some in the US, getting online demands an untenable amount of time, patience, and cash. These folks might like an alt-dial-up option, but they're rural dwellers and the serviceable infrastructure hasn’t reached them...

Commerce readies contract for broadband grant support -- Washington Technology

The Commerce Department intends to award a contract by June 30 to obtain assistance in distributing the $4.7 billion in economic stimulus law funds devoted to broadband expansion, according to a planning document published May 15.

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration posted a plan and a schedule showing how it intends to spend the stimulus funding on the Recovery.gov Web site...

How ‘Buy American’ could ruin broadband stimulus plans

05/15/2009

Should the government require broadband buildouts funded by economic stimulus grants to use only goods produced in the United States? Is such a stipulation even realistic in a global economy in which tech companies have offshored much of their manufacturing for decades? Those are the questions facing the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, the agency tasked with allocating about $4 billion in grants to further broadband’s reach in the United States as part of the 2009 American Reinvestment and Recovery Act.

The bill contains a “Buy American” clause that, if enforced by NTIA, would exclude most America-based vendors from helping cities, states, nonprofits and other entities install new infrastructure for high-speed Internet and data access. And if U.S. giants that manufacture many components overseas, such as Motorola Inc. (MOT), Cisco Systems Inc. (CSCO) and Alcatel-Lucent (ALU), can’t participate, who can...?

The Obama stimulus package and nonprofits

The Obama stimulus package includes a big chunk of money for broadband. How can or should nonprofits be involved in deciding how that is spent? Is there any money available for nonprofits? I don't claim to be an expert on this but if we get enough people in the room that each know something, we may be able to figure it out!

Takeaways:

1. Is there a chance for nonprofits to be involved in shaping how this money is spent?
2. Is there a chance that nonprofits could benefit from the stimulus package?
3. Where can people go for more information...

More ADC Fiber solutions added to USDA rural development telecommunications program

ADC (NASDAQ: ADCT) (www.adc.com), a leading supplier of infrastructure solutions for fiber deployments, announced today its FiberGuide® Optical Raceway system and OMX600® Optical Distribution Frame (ODF) have been accepted by the USDA Rural Development Telecommunications program, allowing ADC’s products to be used in the expansion of broadband services to underserved and rural communities.

ADC now offers hundreds of Rural Utilities Service (RUS) listed products to carriers serving rural areas in the United States and seeking funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009. Acceptance by the USDA Rural Development Telecommunications Program of ADC solutions enables service providers seeking funding from the RUS to propose the use of these products in applications they submit for the agency’s loans and grants...

Hawaii Broadband Resources | Brent.fm • a technology mixdown

Due to population density and opportunity awareness, Oahu will surely lead broadband initiatives. However, a different scale of opportunity exists in rural Hawaii Island. Creating a global model for sustainability will require a global model for connectivity and community including video collaboration and online education. Fast data connections are a requirement.

Broadband is as it’s often referred to is an access speed currently possible and probably for rural areas. Boradband is also via for telecommuting and it’s wide-spread adoption could be considerd the corner-stone in a stronger digital economy for Hawaii Island...

Stimulus deadline passes, but where are the reports? - ProPublica

May 18, 2009

Times up. Pencils down.

Today is the 90th day since President Obama signed the stimulus package [1] (PDF), and the milestone carries a series of deadlines for federal agencies to submit reports to Congress and publish guidelines for new programs.

Among the requirements are a report by the president on how the stimulus programs will affect the environment and a report on the the $7.2 billion broadband program to bring Internet service to underserved communities...

Using procurement auctions to allocate broadband stimulus grants « Hawai`i island stimulus resources

The signatories to this document are economists who have studied telecommunications, auctions, and competition policy.1 While we may disagree about the stimulus package, we believe that it is important to implement mechanisms that make stimulus spending as efficient as possible. To that end, we have come together to encourage the National Telecommunications Information Agency (NTIA) and Rural Utilities Service (RUS) to adopt auction mechanisms to allocate broadband stimulus grants.

The broadband stimulus NOI asks which mechanisms NTIA and RUS should use to distribute grants and how those mechanisms address shortcomings in traditional grant and loan programs. In this note we explain why procurement auctions are more efficient and more consistent with the stimulus goals of allocating funds quickly than a traditional grant review process. We recommend that NTIA/RUS use procurement auctions to distribute at least part of the stimulus funds...

Duluth hopes to widen access to broadband, with help from feds | Duluth News Tribune | Duluth, Minnesota

May 18, 2009

City of Duluth officials are entering a race to improve the city’s high-speed broadband wireless service with federal stimulus money.

The city has gotten into the starting blocks, but it doesn’t know the length of the race or when it will finish. The city wants to bring wireless service to its community clubs and to areas without service, but it hasn’t formulated the details, cost or knowledge about how other communities compare.

Local tribes get chunk of stimulus money - Farmington Daily Times

5/12/2009

American Indian tribes in Arizona, New Mexico and Utah stand to receive nearly half of a $500 million allocation from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced last month that the Bureau of Indian Affairs will fund $500 million in new school and housing construction, road and bridge improvements and work force development projects for tribes across the nation.

The funding also will provide federally guaranteed loans for American Indian-owned businesses...

Ultra High Speed Broadband Task Force « Blandin on Broadband

May 15, 2009

Here are my notes from the Ultra High-Speed Broadband Task Force meeting today. I think it was a good day – the main drive was to get through some contentious issues. I did my best to capture the conversation. If you want a shortcut you might consider jumping to the indented portions of the notes, which reflect the notes that were taken by the facilitator.

Update on stimulus package/What was heard in DC in the last 3 weeks:
• Everyone is waiting on NTIA; guidelines expected mid or late June.
• The FCC is waiting on appointment; not looking for comments until they are ready.
• RUS & NTIA are going to work together on the application process. One source for applying and applicants can get money from either...

The machinery behind health-care reform - washingtonpost.com

May 16, 2009

When President Obama won approval for his $787 billion stimulus package in February, large sections of the 407-page bill focused on a push for new technology that would not stimulate the economy for years.

The inclusion of as much as $36.5 billion in spending to create a nationwide network of electronic health records fulfilled one of Obama's key campaign promises -- to launch the reform of America's costly health-care system...

Parts of mid-state without high speed Internet - NewsChannel 5.com - Nashville, Tennessee -

May 15, 2009

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Connected Tennessee could be getting some help from federal stimulus money to bring broadband to Tennessee's smaller counties.

The group started two years ago, with a job to expand high speed internet through the state. There are still large portions of Tennessee that have no high speed internet access...

States eager for broadband stimulus funds - Mass High Tech Business News

May 15, 2009

In what could arguably be called an infrastructure initiative, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act includes some $7.2 billion aimed at improving the nation’s broadband access, particularly in rural areas.

The allotment falls into two groups — $2.5 billion will be dispersed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, while $4.7 billion will be controlled by the U.S. Department of Commerce. Under both programs, the effort will be aimed at bringing broadband coverage and other Internet-based services to unserved and underserved regions of the country...

State eyes $1 billion share of broadband stimulus - San Francisco Business Times:

May 15, 2009

California telecommunications companies, nonprofit agencies and government officials are chomping at the bit as they await the release of application guidelines for what some hope could total $1 billion in federal stimulus money for broadband projects in the state.

The guidelines are expected to become public this summer, according to federal officials...

Rise of the rural 'super' carrier

May 16, 2009

Recent activity in the rural telecom sector leads us to speculate about a rural ‘super’ carrier trend. We define this trend as the formation of large scale, larger than we’ve ever witnessed before, telecom service providers focused mostly on rural markets.

Despite the 1,000+ carriers serving rural territory in the U.S., the three largest ‘RBOCs’ combined, still serve the majority of rural customers. That’s beginning to change, and leading to the rise of the rural ‘super’ carrier. Companies like CenturyTel, Embarq, Windstream, FairPoint, Frontier, TDS, and maybe Qwest are on a path to become rural ‘super’ carriers...

A broadband view from Washington, D.C. « Knight Center Community Connection

May 15, 2009

With $787 billion in economic stimulus funding trickling into the market, there are more than just school kids studying the workings of government inside the beltway.

My spring trip to our nation’s capital started May 12 at a breakfast sponsored by Broadband Census. The discussion focused on broadband stimulus funding and development of a national broadband policy that will include definitions of un-served and underserved...

President Obama's federal broadband stimulus: separate funding notices to be released by NTIA and RUS

May 15, 2009

Obama's Federal Broadband Stimulus: Separate Funding Notices to be Released by NTIA and RUS, Coordinated by Administration StimulatingBroadband.com 05/08/09 The two federal agencies that will be administering a total of $7.2 billion in "broadband stimulus" funds will each be issuing its own separate official document launching the applicable funding round of each agency...

Broadband financing, financial services for my blog readers « Fighting the Next Good Fight

May 15, 2009

Four elements are key to successfully pursuing broadband stimulus grant money: a solid business case, financing for the network buildout, financial network operations and a credible financial modeling. Our Broadband Success Partnership provides all four...

Networking Firms Maneuver for Stimulus Windfall - InternetNews.com

May 15, 2009

The race is on for networking vendors to get their share of the $7 billion in broadband grants being offered through the Obama administration's massive economic stimulus bill.

At its core, the program will involve billions in new networking gear to help improve the state of broadband in the United States, and networking vendors like Alcatel-Lucent (NYSE: ALU) and Juniper Networks (NASDAQ: JNPR) are planning to cash in, helping their carrier customers across the United States figure out how to get a piece of the stimulus pie...

Stimulus money trickling ever so slowly into the economy - washingtonpost.com

May 15, 2009

YOU MAY RECALL President Obama urging Congress to pass the stimulus bill immediately because the economy so desperately needed money. The massive recovery bill was passed, and, recently, a few "green shoots" have been popping up -- indicating that, perhaps, the worst may be over. Is it a result of the stimulus? Tough to say, but, given the amount of money that has actually gone out the door, probably not...

Web wrangle - The Sault Star - Ontario, CA

ALGOMA — The millions of dollars in federal stimulus funds may be used to further develop rural broadband service in the Algoma District.

Under Canada’s Economic Action Plan, designed to jump-start the sagging markets, exists the Communities Component. And these resources could be used to help bring high-speed Internet access to rural areas, according an organization working to improve information technology services in the Algoma region...

States eager for broadband stimulus funds - Mass High Tech Business News

May 15, 2009

In what could arguably be called an infrastructure initiative, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act includes some $7.2 billion aimed at improving the nation’s broadband access, particularly in rural areas.

The allotment falls into two groups — $2.5 billion will be dispersed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, while $4.7 billion will be controlled by the U.S. Department of Commerce. Under both programs, the effort will be aimed at bringing broadband coverage and other Internet-based services to unserved and underserved regions of the country...

Satellite Broadband, Stimulus Funds and Network Neutrality

May 14, 2009

At the IP Satellite Summit in Washington this week, a panel composed of satellite service providers and product vendors discussed whether or not they would pursue the economic stimulus funds set aside for broadband development. While the service providers agreed that there are viable business models for satellite broadband service without the stimulus money—of course, they were delivering service before the current economic collapse and talk of the stimulus money—the consensus seemed to be that they would apply for the grants to further develop, deploy and perhaps even subsidize their service offerings. Some spoke of the need to meet installation and recurring charges along with access rates similar to that of terrestrial services in order to increase service uptake...

War, What is it good for? Stimulus? « The Prosperity Blog

May 12, 2009

So, my grandfather always tells me that it wasn’t the New Deal that brought America out of the Great Depression. Rather, it was WWII that put everyone back to work and cemented the foundation of our manufacturing industry. Which begs the question as to how much the ARRA will help us out of the Great Recession (is that the best name we could come up with? all the branding people must have gotten laid off already) versus just keeping the downturn more shallow or reducing the pain?...

Now this is stimulus | Education IT | ZDNet.com

May 14, 2009

As I sat through a DSL install at one of our schools this morning, I Tweeted my excitement at finally leaving a fractional T1 behind at this particularly remote school. The bandwidth, usually running around 200kbps, has seriously hampered our efforts to roll out e-learning tools, so a 6MBps pipe (2 aggregated 3MBps DSL lines) is a huge upgrade.

“6MBps?” you say…that’s nothing! And you’re right. It’s painfully slow by modern standards and yet is hardly the worst had by many schools in the States. Obviously, urban schools are going to see much greater bandwidth and fiber penetration; even the other schools in our district (aside from the one, lone school noted above) can get 15MBps cable. Our little town is not that extraordinary among other rural communities, though...

Broadband stimulus: Where do fiber, wire options fit? - Network World

March 13, 2009

When it comes to bringing broadband to underserved areas of the United States, there is a general consensus that wireless technologies such as 802.11y, WiMAX and Long Term Evolution (LTE) will be crucial to getting people connected. However, many experts and service providers say that fiber infrastructure could be a big a piece of the puzzle as well.

Any discussion of building more fiber infrastructure to expand broadband access has to start with creating more backbone capacity in rural areas, as both wireline and wireless operators need backbone access in order to operate high-speed services. Essentially, backbones are clusters of fiber-optic trunk lines that small ISPs buy bandwidth from to connect their users to the Web. The trouble that many rural ISPs have is that they are located farther away from backbones' points of presence (PoP), which are typically located in major population centers. Thus, they have to pay more money for backbone access than ISPs located in more populated areas...

Stimulus money – rural broadband – long-term impact - GLG New

May 13, 2009

Initially like many, I believed the big established telecom carriers would take the stimulus money and use it.

You would have thought that the big established carriers would have taken the stimulus money and used it to build out rural networks. Then I remembered that current business models used by the telecom carriers will not support a rural broadband build-out. The lack of a workable business model is the biggest impediment to the large established carriers building a rural broadband network (wireless or landline)...

State says stimulus is slow coming: Rutland Herald Online

May 14, 2009

MONTPELIER – Tom Evslin watches the federal stimulus money flow down to Vermont, but for the state's chief recovery officer, some of those funds are not flowing fast enough.

Vermont's share of the $787 billion economic stimulus package signed into law by President Barack Obama this year started arriving months ago. Money has gone to shore up state services, such as health care plans and unemployment payments, and also to fund road and bridge construction projects...

Governor advises leaders on stimulus funding strategies - Carlsbad Current-Argus

May 13, 2009

CARLSBAD — New Mexico communities with shovel-ready projects stand a better chance of obtaining money from the federal stimulus package, Gov. Bill Richardson told county and city leaders Wednesday. If that's the case, Eddy County and the cities of Carlsbad and Artesia should be at the head of the line. Their projects are ready to roll, city and county officials said.

New Mexico has been allocated $1.6 billion in federal stimulus funds that will be doled out to communities for their various projects...

What is Google Small Business Network?

May 14, 2009

Google’s started a Small Business Network to “give small business owners the information and tools to promote business-friendly policies in Washington, D.C. and state capitols. ”

According to the email — Google wants to know about the issues that are important to you so that we can better invest in your goals and objectives and ultimately, your success. New laws, regulations and other public policy initiatives at the federal and state levels should be designed with your best interests in mind...

Gov. talks stimulus money - Alamogordo Daily News

May 14, 2009

Gov. Bill Richardson drifted through Alamogordo Wednesday and paused to speak to local officials and listen to stimulus spending requests from community members.

"The objective is stimulus funds and how we can be sure Otero County, Alamogordo and smaller communities can access these funds and how our office can be helpful," said Richardson, adding the state has about $2 billion in stimulus money.

He said there is money available for roads, education, Medicaid, water, broadband and energy, but the money is not always easy to access...

Australian econ stimulus helped telecom demand

May 14, 2009

SYDNEY (Dow Jones)--Singapore Telecommunications Ltd. (Z74.SG) Australian unit Optus said Thursday that the federal government's economic stimulus package and an innovative approach to mobile phone products had helped it produce strong full year results despite the ongoing economic slowdown...

Vt. still waiting for stimulus money - WCAX.COM Local Vermont News, Weather and Sports-

May 14, 2009

Vermont is due to receive a second slice of federal stimulus money but it's not coming as quickly as expected. Some federal funds have already gone to state services like health care and unemployment payments and to infrastructure projects. But there's still money coming for Internet broadband expansion and energy distribution projects...

What to consider as you secure broadband stimulus funding

May 13, 2009

The U.S. Federal Broadband Stimulus package provides an incredible opportunity for American communities and telecom equipment vendors alike. We are about to embark on the most beneficial infrastructure upgrade since FDR's New Deal which could greatly enhance the lives of those on the wrong side of the Digital Divide.

And those of us in the Telecom industry are chomping at the bit to get to work and make it happen. However, most of the latest Stimulus news has focused on the definitions of broadband and what "unserved" and "underserved" really means. So while we wait for the Federal Government to figure out the details, it's a great time to start looking at broadband solutions...

Verizon sells rural access lines to Frontier for $8.6B

May 13, 2009

What a deal! Verizon Communications today unveiled plans to dump roughly 14 percent of its expensive copper lines in exchange for $8.6 billion from Frontier Communications. The transaction, which is expected to close within the next year, will make Frontier the nation’s fifth-largest incumbent local exchange carrier with more than 7 million access lines, 8.6 million voice and broadband connections and 16,000 employees in 27 states.

The big winner here is Verizon, which has been trying to sell off its rural access lines for years. It sold 1.5 million of them to Fairpoint in 2007, which is now struggling under the burden. In 2004, Verizon sold its access lines in Hawaii to The Carlyle Group. The resulting Carlyle-created business, Hawaiian Telecom, filed for bankruptcy last year. Buying copper land lines is proving to be a sucker’s game...

Wireless broadband operators position themselves for the rural broadband stimulus : -4G Trends-

May 13, 2009

More than 1,000 comments were filed when the 60 day public comment period for input into the joint “Request for Information” (RFI) published by NTIA and USDA was scheduled to close on April 13, and late comments continued to be posted on the BTOP web site as recently as May 11.

These federal agencies had set an initial target of approximately 60 days from April 13, or June 12 for officially publishing a Notice of Funds Availability (NOFA) along with grant and loan application guidelines, evaluation and selection criteria. Even if this date may be postponed until the end of June, applicants will likely be asked to submit their proposals within 60-90 days for the $4.7 billion NTIA “Broadband Technology Opportunities Program” (BTOP) $2.5 billion Rural Utilities Services (RUS) Broadband grant and loan programs. The goal is to make the make the first round of funding awards by the end of September...

Broadband: Services vs. technology deployments

May 12, 2009

I thought some newspapers and other news publications would be interested in an article about the plight of the first responder community and the faux broadband stimulus package. So I wrote an op-ed piece and submitted it to several publications one after another (each says writings must be unique to their publication) and there were no takers...

Verizon Sells West Virginia Access Lines to Frontier - WVNS-TV - WVNSTV.com

May 13, 2009

Verizon Communications announced May 13 it would sell about 4.8 million access lines to Frontier Communications Corp., including those in West Virginia, in a move that could lead to expanded broadband Internet access throughout the state.

Frontier currently provides phone, video, Internet and broadband services to more than 2 million customers in 24 states, according to a company news release. The deal would make the company the nation’s largest pure rural communications provider.

“We are confident that we can dramatically accelerate the penetration of broadband in these new markets during the first 18 months” Maggie Wilderotter, Frontier communications chairman and CEO, said in the news release. “We know that broadband is a catalyst for a healthy local economy and job growth...”

Palo Alto urged to apply for broadband stimulus - FierceTelecom

May 13, 2009

Palo Alto, Calif., continues to look for options to fulfill its desire to establish a municipal broadband network, and U.S Rep. Anna Eshoo (D.-Palo Alto) this week suggested that the city apply for broadband stimulus funds. Eshoo noted that she had not included Palo Alto in her own appeal for funds, but that the city could apply on its own.

Does Palo Alto, the home of Stanford University, fit the profile of an "underserved" market that should receive broadband stimulus?...

N.M. stimulus take doubles

May 13, 2009

Ex-Gov. Anaya managing program

You might be able get a piece of it on the New Mexico Office of Recovery and Reinvestment website. Anyone can actually submit a proposal to get some of the stimulus money although the process is not easy.

For example, a company wanting to install broadband internet access in rural areas has to click on the link to the Department of Agriculture Web site but still may have to go back to the state Web site for more information. Anaya said it may be even more difficult...

Sliver of stimulus cash has reached state hands - NYTimes.com

May 12, 2009

Nearly three months after President Obama approved a $787 billion economic stimulus package, intended to create or save jobs, the federal government has paid out less than 6 percent of the money, largely in the form of social service payments to states.

Although administration officials say the program is right on schedule, they have actually spent relatively little so far...

Lawmakers, tech pioneers discuss broadband’s economic value | BroadbandCensus.com Blog

May 12, 2009

24 hours into the third annual Tech Policy Summit in San Mateo, two members of Calfornia’s House delegation and a founding father of the PC age sounded off with different views on the best implementation and potential efficacy of the Obama administration’s $7.25 broadband stimulus program.

The appropriations made in the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act for broadband deployment represent the biggest increase in funding for science and technology programs in U.S. history, said Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif. Lofgren, who chairs the California House Democratic caucus and sits on the Judiciary committee, said Monday during an afternoon keynote that the stimulus funds would not be a one-time expenditure...

No broadband stimulus money for usage cappers & net neutrality foes

May 12, 2009

One of the biggest anti-consumer disasters of the last 15 years was President Clinton’s signing of the 1996 Communications Act. This bought and paid for legislation deregulated a major part of the telecommunications sector with the idea that the “free market” would somehow provide sufficient checks and balances to protect against media concentration, monopoly abuse, and locking out technological advancement wherever robust competition was unlikely.

How’s that working out for you?...

So there's $7.2 billion set aside for "broadband stimulus."

May 12, 2009

Satcom service providers have been barking at this "no broadband for us" market for years. Along comes Wildblue and blows the incumbents away with their success (Hughes/DirecWay and Spacenet/Starband). Game-changing technology? Not really...

Brother, can you spare $92,000?

May 12, 2009

The White House released some new numbers on the stimulus today. The one that's getting the most attention is $92,000. That's how much it will cost to create or preserve each stimulus-related job. Do I even need to relay the snarky rejoinder to this?

But the number is more complicated than it seems. Building a bridge creates a certain number of jobs. But it also requires you to buy a lot of cement. Cutting taxes for small businesses helps preserve jobs. But it does that by helping them pay the rent. Pumping billions into Pell grants helps kids secure better jobs because they can graduate from college. But it really just replaces tuition that would otherwise be paid by richer families...

House Chairman Rick Boucher: Private companies should embrace broadband stimulus funds | BroadbandCensus.com Blog

May 12, 2009

The chairman of a House Communications Subcommittee on Tuesday warned against too narrowly defining eligibility limits for grants in dispensing $7.2 billion in broadband stimulus money authorized by Congress.

Rep. Rick Boucher, D-Va., who is chairman of the House Energy and Commerce subcommittee, said at the Broadband Breakfast Club that the need to quickly stimulate the economy and have the greatest effect should trump longer-term goals like net neutrality – at least for the broadband stimulus.

Broadcasters - Want to get in on $7.2 billion of stimulus money?

May 11, 2009

For several years broadcasters have been advised that streaming is becoming a necessity. The Internet is rapidly becoming a major, if not the preferred, distribution medium for a significant new population of viewers and listeners who have grown up in the age of the Internet and broadband Internet will expand significantly over the next several years.

During the campaign of 2008, President Obama advocated an aggressive program to extend and improve broadband access to every American. According to a 2008 report of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, the United States ranks 15th out of 30 countries in broadband access, speed and price. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) also reports that the United States ranks 15th and continuing to drop further in the global rankings, though we still have the most overall broadband subscribers among OECD countries...

Texas begins planning process to expand statewide broadband access

May 8, 2009

The Texas Department of Agriculture and the Public Utility Commission have announced that, together, they are taking steps to extend broadband Internet access to all Texans.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 appropriated $7.2 billion in grants to expand high-speed Internet, a portion of which the two state agencies hope to secure...

Why US broadband service continues to stagnate - some simple numbers to drive the point home

May 6, 2009

I've been fascinated by the recent announcement that Australia is spending $31 billion USD to upgrade its broadband. With all the excitement and fuss over the broadband stimulus funding in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, it may seem strange to be claiming that the $7.2 billion is a pitifully small amount—but let me bring this home for you...

Alcatel-Lucent launches 'Broadband for All' program in United States to help telecom providers addressing broadband stimulus funding opportunities

May 12, 2009

Alcatel-Lucent today announced its "Broadband for All" program in the United States, which provides advisory services to help telecommunications companies, municipalities and developers apply for broadband stimulus funds as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Tax Act (ARRA) of 2009. The Act provides more than $7 billion in grants, loans and loan guarantees to unserved and underserved rural areas, offering them broadband access and services that have been previously limited or unavailable...

Palo Alto council talks broadband, rail with congresswoman Anna Eshoo - San Jose Mercury News

May 11, 2009

Negotiations to bring ultra-fast broadband Internet service to Palo Alto collapsed in March, but city council members continued to express interest in the project Monday while discussing broadband funding with U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo...

Interview with WiMax ROI Expert Randall Schwartz from WiMax20/20 | Going Wimax

May 11, 2009

Mr. Schwartz has been a key participant in the broadband wireless market for the last 10 years. He brings 20 years of experience in the semiconductor, as well as wireless industries. He has been a key contributor to the 802.16 standard from its inception, and has been a leading advocate and contributor of the WiMAX Forum. Schwartz has led the development of strategy, market development and product development for both leading chipset vendors and equipment manufacturers in the broadband wireless market...

General Cable Corp. looks good at current price

May 11, 2009

General Cable has weathered the current recession pretty well. Headquartered in Highland Heights, Kentucky, General Cable is a leader in the development, design, manufacture, marketing and distribution of copper, aluminum and fiber optic wire and cable products for the energy, industrial, specialty and communications markets worldwide...

Definition of broadband service stirs debate

May 11, 2009

As internet service providers and cable providers roll out high-speed internet service, a national debate is ongoing about how to deliver broadband to underserved areas.

At a discussion panel last week in Washington, DC, researchers and other interested parties discussed the implications of the $7.2 billion in broadband stimulus grants the federal government will begin disbursing...