Incumbents smart to watch stimulus funding carefully

Incumbents choosing not to participate in the scramble for Broadband Stimulus money still need to pay attention to the process and how money is being awarded, since there is the possibility other entities could apply for, and receive, money to build broadband networks in their footprint.

That’s one conclusion reached by experts in Telephony’s most recent Webcast on the Broadband Stimulus, held Thursday, July 30, and available for replay here. Thomas Cohen, partner in the Washington, D.C. office of Kelley Drye & Warren LLP, Bob Tupper, consulting engineer with RVW Inc., and John Hoover, senior product manager with Tellabs, which sponsored the event, all encouraged incumbents, including telco, cable and wireless service providers, to pay attention to how stimulus money is being allocated...

California local governments, nonprofits eligible for 90% broadband stimulus subsidization

California local governments and nonprofit entities that can successfully navigate the complex, 121-page set of rules governing the first round of grants providing up to 80 percent subsidization of broadband infrastructure build outs under the National Telecommunications and Information Administration's Broadband Technology Opportunities Program -- and do so in the just two weeks remaining before the Aug. 14 application deadline -- could get as much as 90 percent of their project costs subsidized.

To leverage the federal broadband stimulus funds, the California Public Utilities Commission had previously approved an order expanding its subsidy program for broadband infrastructure, the California Advanced Services Fund, to provide up to half of the 20 percent match required of regulated telecom providers proposing BTOP projects...

Building advanced broadband infrastructure to strengthen Wisconsin’s community anchor institutions

The University of Wisconsin Extension is partnering with the Wisconsin Department of Administration, Wisconsin Educational Communications Board, WiscNet (Wisconsin’s research and education network), and the Wisconsin BadgerNet Access Alliance (Statewide consortium of private telecommunications providers) to apply for grant monies in all three phases of federal broadband stimulus funding available under the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009. The US Departments of Agriculture and Commerce will award $7.2 billion to support advanced broadband infrastructure projects between August 2009 and September 2010.

Wisconsin’s plan (titled “Go Gig”) will lay the foundation for long-time prosperity by creating a sustainable statewide fiber optic infrastructure that interconnects community anchor institutions and then extends advanced broadband infrastructure into communities through fiber optic community area networks. A Federal award of approximately $100M will enable Wisconsin to extend the national backbone of the Internet deep into Wisconsin’s communities and interconnect community anchor institutions including schools, libraries, colleges, universities, municipalities, public safety agencies, healthcare providers and UW Extension’s community outreach offices. Building these community area networks, as well as connecting people in these communities, will create local jobs, deliver enhanced educational experiences, support research and development initiatives, and spur economic growth now and well into the future...

FCC Chairman Genachowski announces further staff appointments

Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Julius Genachowski today announced the appointment of senior staff in the Media, Enforcement, and Wireline Competition Bureaus of the Commission; and in the Office of Communications Business Opportunities (OCBO), and Office of the General Counsel (OGC).

As seen in both the appointment by President Obama of Chairman Genachowski himself, and in many of the Chairman's staff, if today's FCC senior staff appointees have anything in common in their careers in government, law, and academia, it is the pursuit of policy agendas generally favoring increased competition in the American telecom industry...

City eyes wireless broadband [Messenger-Inquirer, Owensboro, Ky.]

Jul. 30--The Owensboro City Commission is considering applying for a $280,000 federal grant that could help bring free wireless broadband Internet to downtown Owensboro, and possibly other areas of the city.

Providing the service will not come at zero cost to the city, however. The city will be required to put up $70,000 in local matching money to build the broadband infrastructure and then pay for the ongoing costs of operating it, an amount that isn't yet known...

Texas broadband: Texas partners with Connected Nation to map broadband availability

07/29/09 Yesterday, Texas Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples announced a partnership between the Texas Department of Agriculture and Connected Nation, a national nonprofit, to create a broadband initiative called Connected Texas and to develop a detailed broadband inventory map to better position Texas for competitive funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA).

The map, which will feature the information of participating broadband providers large and small, is expected to serve as a key asset for the state as it prepares for federal stimulus funding to support broadband investment...

Accessing Obama's broadband billions - Telecom News Analysis

GRAPEVINE, Texas -- The Independent Show -- The U.S. government's $7.2 billion broadband stimulus plan may end up stimulating more than a few law firms along the way. That's because the rules surrounding the application process are full of potential pitfalls and loopholes, likely causing many an interested operator to lawyer up a bit to ensure that they don't make any mistakes.

That much was evident here during a panel offering a primer on the broadband stimulus program. The audience included many of the nation's Tier 2 and Tier 3 cable operators that may try to get a piece of the pie to hook up some of the nation's "unserved" and "underserved" areas...

State of Nevada names Connected Nation as its designated eligible entity for broadband mapping and planning stimulus funding

Carson City, NV (Vocus/PRWEB ) July 29, 2009 -- Yesterday, Connected Nation met with broadband stakeholders from across Nevada to discuss its role in creating a comprehensive broadband availability map for the state. This meeting marks the beginning of Connected Nation's newly-formed relationship with the state since Nevada Gov. Jim Gibbons notified the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) that Connected Nation will serve as the state's designated eligible entity under the State Broadband Data and Development Grant Program pursuant to P.L. 110-385.

Connected Nation's designation coincides with Gov. Gibbons' creation of the Nevada Broadband Task Force, which is charged with identifying and removing barriers to broadband access and identifying opportunities for increased broadband applications and adoption in unserved and underserved areas of Nevada...

First-round rules for broadband stimulus program hinder libraries

The American Library Association Washington sent a letter to Assistant Secretary of Commerce Larry Strickling Friday stating that the first-round Notice of Funds Availability (NOFA) to implement the Broadband Technologies Opportunities Program (BTOP) raises significant concerns and creates hurdles for libraries considering applying for broadband funding.

According to the ALA, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) gives libraries, as anchor institutions, priority, but the NOFA in effect de-prioritizes libraries and discourages them from applying for funding in a number of ways...

City sees opportunity with broadband stimulus – Metro Desk

Columbia, Richland County and Benedict College officials are meeting today to discuss how they can team up to go after $7.2 billion in stimulus money for broadband technology.

Columbia is eyeing the money to help with its plan to install super-smart security cameras that can hear gunshots. It’s not the cameras that are expensive, it’s the fiber optic cables and other infrastructure that it takes to put the cameras in place that cost the most. If the city can get a heaping helping of stimulus money to knock out that infrastructure cost, the security cameras could finally become a reality...

City libraries shut out of broadband stimulus money? - Ars Technica

Millions of Americans are turning to the Internet to look for new jobs. But in many parts of the United States, public libraries are the only free provider of that crucial combo: a computer plus Internet access. This means that low-income job seekers depend on them when searching for employment. Oddly, as library development directors look for funds to beef up their networks, they're not finding the support they expected from the White House's $7.2 billion broadband stimulus package.

The first round of stimulus grants "in effect de-prioritizes libraries and discourages them from applying for funding," complains the American Library Association in a letter sent to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration. "The ability of our libraries to meet community needs is in jeopardy—especially when library use has heavily increased across the country in these difficult economic times..."

The recession is over! But not for you -- yet | ProsperityAgenda.US

In Westport, Mass., about 60 miles southwest of Boston, traffic crawls along Route 6 as drivers make their way to the nearby Atlantic beaches like Horseneck or Baker's. A 10-worker crew pouring and raking asphalt onto the road slows their progress. It's the kind of small annoyance drivers nationwide face each summer. It's also one small manifestation of President Barack Obama's ambitious strategy for jump-starting the economy.
Click here to find out more!

In April, the P.J. Keating Co., a construction firm based in Lunenburg, Mass., bid on about a dozen stimulus projects funded through the U.S. Transportation Department. It won two contracts, including this $4.06 million job, rescuing what would have been a dismal year for P.J. Keating, says David Baker, 36, a manager of construction operations. As business dwindled over the past two years, the firm laid off about a dozen people. "We definitely would have been faced with another half-dozen layoffs had we not gotten these stimulus projects," Baker says. Instead, the company kept all its remaining 300 employees, and hired five new ones. Ordinarily, a few -government-funded jobs, like traffic on Route 6, wouldn't be noteworthy. But the tableau neatly encapsulates the promise—and pitfalls—of an economy at an inflection point...

Macro stimulus insanity turns micro in Cook County | Politics in Minnesota

ike many Republicans, I've long ago given up the ghost when it comes to U.S. federal debt angst. But sometimes consideration of one particular number reduces me to an angst-induced wreck.

Buried in this story in the Star Tribune about whether Minnesota cities are being shut out of federal stimulus money for broadband services is one incredible fact...

A new New Deal, Tennessee style

Even with growing talk of the recession's end, unemployment continues to rise, leading many critics of the Obama administration to ask when, exactly, the much-touted stimulus jobs will arrive. Having cast their vote for a big government solution, even some of the President's supporters are beginning to wonder if they have been led to a bureaucratic dead-end.

In late 2008, much of Obama's recovery rhetoric was based around the idea of stimulus-based job creation. At the time, the President-elect indicated that the country would ride back to solvency on the back of "the single largest new investment in our national infrastructure since the creation of the federal highway system in the 1950's." At the same time, Obama promised "the most sweeping effort to modernize and upgrade school buildings that this country has ever seen." From health care to education to broadband, the answer to the country's ills seemed to lie in new jobs...

Texas partners with Connected Nation to Map Broadband Availability and Prepare for Federal Stimulus Funding

Austin, TX (Vocus/PRWEB ) July 28, 2009 -- Yesterday, Texas Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples announced a partnership between the Texas Department of Agriculture and Connected Nation, a national nonprofit, to create a broadband initiative called Connected Texas and to develop a detailed broadband inventory map to better position Texas for competitive funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). The map, which will feature the information of participating broadband providers large and small, is expected to serve as a key asset for the state as it prepares for federal stimulus funding to support broadband investment.

"We are excited about this new partnership," Commissioner Staples said. "Connected Nation will help Texas close the digital divide between urban and rural communities in our state. By creating a broadband map, we will learn which areas are unserved and underserved. This critical knowledge will lead to developing projects that bring high-speed Internet to all Texans, which will enhance economic development, expand educational opportunities, and improve health care..."

Logarithmic bandwidth goals for America's national broadand strategy

The debate surrounding what bandwidth goals should be set to guide the creation of America's broadband policies suffers from a gaping chasm between arguments for aspirational vs. "realistic" benchmarks.

Those in the "realistic" category often limit themselves to goals as low as 25Mbps, arguing that going any higher potentially rules out technologies like DSL, which may be easier/cheaper/faster to deploy...

Columbus hopes to build Wi-Fi 'cloud' - WBNS-10TV, Central Ohio's News Leader

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The City of Columbus is applying for tens of millions of federal dollars to create what would the largest wireless network in the state.

The so-called Wi-Fi "cloud" would enable users of laptop computers and other wireless devices to connect to Internet, and to each other, throughout the city, 10TV's Kevin Landers reported...

Broadband stimulus: Let the bellyaching begin!

Not a dime of broadband stimulus money has been awarded but the carping will begin in earnest once the first round of awards are made. That is almost inevitable, given the vastly greater number of potential "losers" compared to the actual award winners, the range of contestants already locked in fierce competition with each other and the predictable complaints that incumbents got too much of the money.

The Rural Utilities Service portion of the program arguably faces more challenges. The National Telecommunications & Information Administration likely will have an easier time since that is where many training, public computing center and other projects can legitimately be funded...

Webinar on ARRA and Broadband Telecommunications Opportunity Program (BTOP)

The National Medical Wireless Broadband Alliance (NMWBA) gives rural and underserved communities the opportunity to apply for federal stimulus grant funding through the ARRA and Broadband Telecommunications Opportunity Program (BTOP). This unique organization will help your hospital or health system with the application process and pre-design of the wireless DAS system, underwrite the 20 percent match (80 percent funded by the government, 20 percent underwritten) and obtain political support in your state.

“NRHA is proud to announce our new gold level partner, the National Medical Wireless Broadband Alliance” said Alan Morgan, NRHA CEO. “Identifying quality services and products relevant to the rural marketplace is an important benefit we provide to our membership.”
The NMWBA is proud to sponsor an upcoming webinar focused around the BTOP and how your hospital or health system can apply for stimulus grant funding...

Columbus, Ohio seeks stimulus grant for fiber network | MuniWireless

Columbus, Ohio plans to apply for a $40M grant from the federal broadband stimulus program to deploy a citywide fiber optic network that would allow the city to terminate expensive contracts with phone companies and lease capacity to one or more (wired and wireless) Internet service providers to bring affordable, high-speed Internet access to residents and businesses.

DHB Networks, a wireless ISP that already delivers service in Dublin and Gahanna, both of which are in Ohio, says that they would put in a bid to deploy a citywide wireless network if Columbus succeeds in rolling out its fiber network. Chris Harris, president of DHB Networks, says that they have already deployed wireless service in 80 percent of Dublin, which the city uses for its own employees and for surveillance cameras. DHB also offers Internet access for $25 per month...

Minnesotans can apply for stimulus funds extending Internet access - Finance and Commerce

In the Twin Cities, high-speed Internet access may be taken for granted. In Cook County, on the north shore of Lake Superior, such access would represent a virtual revolution.

“Broadband services are no longer just a nice thing to have, but rather a basic service, an integral part of the functioning of today’s homes and businesses,” said Danna MacKenzie, Cook County’s information systems director. “We are 110 miles from the nearest college or university, medical specialist, and many government services” – so instantaneous communication would be a vital improvement for health care, education and government service delivery systems...

Minnesota census block level data on Connected's broadband maps

Connected Nation reportedly announced it will soon release Census Block level broadband data for the state of Minnesota in a downloadable format, as well as accessible via an interactive Web based mapping tool.


The agency, which is a national nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, also announced that it will soon be releasing state wide maps of rural and remote areas in Tennessee, Ohio, Minnesota, Nevada, North Carolina, Kansas, and Kentucky...

Connect Minnesota map tools help with ARRA applications « Blandin on Broadband

The Minneapolis Star Tribune noted the other day that Minnesota cities are having trouble accessing the information they need to complete applications for broadband stimulus funding. (I noted it last week too.) Well I think there’s some good news for Minnesota.

There’s a recent FAQ on BroadbandUSA.gov on the ARRA requirements. Here’s what they say about mapping (on page 7 of the PDF)...

Groups seek clarity to NTIA broadband stimulus language - FierceBroadbandWireless

The deadline for applications to the NTIA for broadband stimulus grants and loans is coming up Aug. 14, and some industry groups are looking to make some last-minute changes to the rules.

The National Telecommunications Officers and Advisors, Public Knowledge, Media & Democracy Coalition and Consumers Union want to see the NTIA clarify the meanings of "unserved" and "underserved" as they pertain to broadband availability, while emphasizing affordability in the meaning of underserved. In addition, the groups argue the NTIA should remove the provision that enables incumbent service providers to protest applications and the stipulation that new broadband build outs be in unserved or underserved areas...

Feds put out call for broadband projects, but reception is fuzzy - Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal:

Minnesota telecom companies have just one week to meet the first application deadline for $4.4 billion in broadband-related stimulus funds, leaving many scrambling to digest guidelines unveiled by the federal government earlier this month.

Federal officials early this week outlined the application process and requirements at a workshop in St. Paul. One message they sent to businesses: Partner with multiple organizations and submit applications that meet as many of the broadband plan’s goals as possible. Such goals range from supporting public computing centers, such as libraries, to mapping broadband availability...

A stimulus workshop debrief: Part two « Knight Center Community Connection

As reported in the first part of our stimulus debriefing, the Knight Center of Digital Excellence continued our participation in the broadband stimulus workshops on July 21 in Minneapolis, Minn. The workshop opened eyes to facets of the application process that may have been glossed over previously. Here are some more key points the workshop stressed:

• Applicants can submit examples of proposals, specifically their methodology, to allow officials to check for weaknesses. However, success will come down to a succinct and well-written application that follows the RUS Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP) self-scoring checklist. (See pages 38-39 of the BIP application guide for the checklist...)

A stimulus workshop debrief: Part one « Knight Center Community Connection

The race for broadband stimulus dollars is well underway – with the first “quarter pole” for the Knight Center of Digital Excellence and others being Aug. 14.

Continuing our attendance at the broadband stimulus workshops, the Knight Center attended the July 21 Minneapolis, Minn., event this week. The workshops are designed to answer questions on the application process for broadband grants and loans under the American Reinvestment & Recovery Act. Numerous NTIA and RUS officials made it very clear – Aug. 14 will remain the funding application deadline for round one. Proposal authors will be notified by the end of September if their submissions make it to the second review. Awards will be announced Nov. 7...

Stimulus funding opportunity

The Illinois State Library has announced that it is partnering with the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) on a joint application for federal broadband stimulus funding for Public Access Computing Centers in libraries. If your library is interested in participating in this statewide application, contact Lawren Tucker at ISL by July 29th and complete the survey and certification form by July 31st. ISL and DCEO will submit the completed application by August 14th.

Below is the ISL announcement with details and links to the application guidelines...

Broadband stimulus ‘underserved’ rule becomes more flexible | Unfiltered

The federal government’s definition of “underserved areas” for purposes of awarding broadband stimulus funds has caused consternation among some applicants – in particular municipal leaders who feel it excludes them from the program. For example, the chief information officer for San Jose, Calif., recently complained of a downtown fire station that is underserved but sits in an area that wouldn’t qualify. A city official in Northfield, Minn., said she doubted any of her state’s cities would qualify.

But further clarification of these rules may ease some applicants’ minds as they prove more flexible than previously thought. The feds have defined “underserved areas” as areas in which...

FAQs posted on Know Your Stimulus and Broadband USA

On Wednesday, July 24, the ALA Washington Office hosted a Webinar on the Broadband and Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) and the Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP) to assist participants in the application process. The Webinar focused on two of the three BTOP programs: Public Computing Center and Sustainable Broadband Adoption. The third program is Broadband Infrastructure.

BTOP is administered through the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), the Broadband Incentives Program is administered through Rural Utilities Service (RUS) portion of the United States Department of Agriculture. This program provides loans for rural areas to assist in the implementation of broadband technologies...

Broadband woes get streamlined look :: Scoop44

After being elected as a result of the most tech-savvy campaign ever, the Obama Administration is taking an ambitious new tack toward America’s online evolution.

Appropriating $7.2 billion in the Recovery Act stimulus package specifically for increasing broadband Internet infrastructure, President Obama said in a December Web address that ”it is unacceptable that the United States ranks 15th in the world in broadband adoption … Here, in the country that invented the Internet, every child should have the chance to get online, and they’ll get that chance when I’m President — because that’s how we’ll strengthen America’s competitiveness in the world.”

Summit 2009: U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke

U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke said nearly 30 percent of federal stimulus money was already distributed and he expected the pace to quicken in the coming months.

Locke’s largely upbeat spin on the recovery plan to the gathering of state legislators and staff at the annual Legislative Summit of the National Conference of State Legislatures came in sharp contrast to mostly dour fiscal news that has been the order of the day this week.

“I’m confident that the Department of Commerce and the entire Obama administration are on the right track,” he said. Locke acknowledged, however, that “there’s been no shortage of criticism of the recovery act in recent days. With unemployment continuing to rise, I understand and share the frustration that the economy isn’t getting better quicker...”

"Hundreds of billions" invested in broadband and yet we still lag behind

In starting to peruse the reply comments to the FCC on formulating a national broadband policy, something NCTA said caught my eye, namely that the FCC should acknowledge that one of the many successes in the broadband marketplace has been the hundreds of billions of dollars invested by private operators in building broadband networks.

While I appreciate the sentiment that a deregulatory attitude towards broadband has spurred massive investment in a variety of networks, I'm having a hard time resolving this with the fact that the US is nowhere near the top five in terms of broadband rankings...

Commerce Secretary talks stimulus | Philadelphia Inquirer | 07/24/2009

Gary Locke, President Obama's secretary of commerce, came to the National Conference of State Legislators in Philadelphia like Santa Claus yesterday, talking up the federal stimulus.

"Washington will deploy $3 billion in grants to jumpstart the manufacture of electrical vehicle batteries and other energy-efficient cars," he told delegates at the Convention Center.

"Over $15 billion in grant funds for three visionary Recovery Act programs - broadband Internet, high-speed rail, and smart electrical grid . . . "

Schumer urges localities to apply for broadband stimulus funds

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Charles Schumer Thursday urged New York State localities to submit their applications for Broadband Project grants provided through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

A total of $7.2 billion has been devoted to broadband infrastructure funding. Localities must submit an online form requesting funding for proposed projects by August 14th, 2009. Schumer has urged the Department of Agriculture, the agency distributing much of the funding, to provide as much of the funding as grants – as opposed to loans - as possible, to avoid burdening local communities who need to update and increase their broadband coverage...

National broadband update — the path starts to unfold « Work, wine and wheels

This month the country took the first steps down a very important road – the expansion of broadband access to all Americans. Included in the Obama Administration’s $787 billion stimulus package is $7.2 billion for grants and loans designed to expand broadband access in the United States. For the first time our government has, in effect, said that broadband access is a “right” and is using substantial public funds to make it happen.

So here are the basics. The bulk of the funds — $4.7 billion – will be distributed through the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), and the rest through the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) program out of the Dept. of Agriculture. The FCC has launched www.broadband.gov and has committed to having a national broadband policy by next spring. The format for applications has been set (NOFA in DC speak) and applications are being solicited. Let the expansion begin!...

USDA: Broadband can help rural areas

ALBUQUERQUE (AP) - U.S. Department of Agriculture official Jessica Zufolo said expanding broadband access in rural areas can help build them build infrastructure for Internet access and lead to better jobs and stronger economies.

More than 150 people are attending a workshop Thursday in Albuquerque aimed at helping rural and minority communities apply for grants under the federal stimulus program to expand broadband access and services.

Report: ERF Wireless is a strong candidate for stimulus funds

A recent independent research report has recognized ERF Wireless as a strong candidate for broadband stimulus funding.

The Broadband Stimulus Report by Emerging Growth Research LLP, found that ERF Wireless is a strong candidate because of its solid operation, strong management teams, and extensive track records of rural deployments. In addition, the research said that the risk for owning stock in such companies is positive since the receipt of stimulus funds is likely to increase stock valuations. Also, organizations that receive funding are likely to be those that show a willingness to extend their services to areas where it has been cost prohibitive to expand operations...

Hey RUS: What happened to loan guarantees?

When Congress passed the stimulus back in February they allocated $2.5 billion to RUS to distribute as loans, grants, or loan guarantees to stimulate broadband deployment.

When RUS released its NOFA a couple weeks ago it included the ability for rural broadband projects to apply for loans, grants, and loan/grant combos...

NTIA/RUS broadband workshop notes « Blandin on Broadband

It was a long day of powerpoints at the St. Paul ARRA Broadband Workshop this week. Overall, very little new or definitive information was provided. We did receive a folder with a flood of powerpoints (all online). Attendees who have spent significant time examining the NOFAs learned even less than I did. The following are some of the items that I wrote in my notes…

During the opening general session, attendees were told to stop fussing over the policy and to worry about incorporating plenty of partnering and long-term sustainability into quality applications...

Columbiana Co. joins faster Internet plan - Local & Regional News - Vindy.com, The Vindicator

LISBON — Columbiana County Commissioner Jim Hoppel said Wednesday he still has a dial-up connection to the Internet.

It’s very, very slow. That may change for the commissioner and other county residents...

Q&A: Windstream weighs broadband stimulus involvement : Fuzzy clauses, strict rules could hinder participation

Of the dozens of service providers expected to apply for broadband stimulus funds, Windstream Corp. (WIN) stands out as a frontrunner. The rural LEC has been "working diligently with the various government agencies to position us for economic stimulus grants allocated toward broadband expansion," CEO Jeff Gardner said in a first-quarter earnings call. Windstream's interest in the government money makes sense, as 400,000 of its customers still don't have broadband because they live in such hard-to-reach areas.

This week, the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) started accepting applications for the $2.5 billion in loans it's overseeing, and the National Telecommunications & Information Administration (NTIA) is preparing for the anticipated flood of requests for the $4.7 billion in grants it’s handling. The idea of grants appeals much more to Windstream; the loans have to be repaid and it's hard to justify buildouts in remote regions if there's no guarantee of return on investment. But because Windstream is a rural LEC that's received RUS financing before, it must first apply through that agency...

Eligibility for broadband stimulus should be modified, public safety association says

Eligibility requirements for broadband stimulus grants should be changed to avoid excluding public safety agencies, a board officer of the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials International said Tuesday.

The association will send a letter requesting a rule change within the next few days, according to Richard Mirgon, the association's president-elect...

Four tips for companies applying for broadband stimulus funds - FierceBroadbandWireless

The current segment of the broadband stimulus dash for dollars has a little over three weeks left, followed by the whirlwind review and approval process for the hundreds of proposals that cross the finish line. During this period we may get to see an interesting throw down between two classes within the broadband world.

One class is made up of huge telcos and cable companies such as AT&T, Verizon and Time Warner. The incumbents are the domineering class that many feel is responsible in large part for the sorry state of U.S. broadband. The other class is the mid-size and small telcos, fiber network providers and wireless Internet service providers with some public utilities included to add spice. This is the underdog class...

Nelson to seek stimulus funds for broadband service | Nelson County Times

The Nelson County Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 last week to enable staff members to apply for federal stimulus funds for a county broadband Internet infrastructure that is estimated to cost as much as $2.3 million.

With the authorization, supervisors also committed to a possible 20 percent match to the grant funds, which could be as much as $481,540, and a contract with Icon Broadband Technologies for $22,000 for assistance with grant applications...

FCC boss eyes broadband - NJ.com

Expanding high-speed internet access throughout the United States is a top priority for Julius Genachowski as he starts his term as chairman of the Federal Communications Commission.
ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTOJulius Genachowski is the new chairman of the Federal Communications Commission.

Genachowski and the agency are charged by President Obama and Congress with helping to ensure all Americans can participate in the ongoing technological revolution that is integrating broadband with television and other devices beyond the computer...

Insist on telework when funding highways and transit: Attorney

There has been a lot of jawboning by government officials when it comes to telework as a green transportation alternative.

While federally-funded programs insist that applicants examine no-build options like transportation demand management solutions like telework, the nasty truth is that these are ignored. Why let imaginative, doable lower-cost methods get in the way of shoveling tax dollars to campaign-contributing contractors and engineering firms?

Broadband in every town – the stimulus money is an overdue investment « BroadbandIgnite

An important part of the Obama Administration’s $787 billion stimulus package is $7.2 billion for grants and loans designed to expand broadband access in the United States.

The bulk of the funds — $4.7 billion — will be distributed through the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), and the rest through the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) program out of the Dept. of Agriculture. The government is making a very clear statement — broadband is so essential that funds will be made available so telecommunications service providers can expand access and reach every citizen in the country...

$4 billion available in broadband stimulus funding - RCR Wireless News

Applicants trying to score a piece of the $4 billion available in the first round of broadband stimulus funds face an Aug. 14 deadline to request funding. The majority of the $7.2 billion available to improve the nation’s access to broadband telecom services is set to be given away either as loans or grants in this round of funding. Two more funding rounds will follow. All of the $7.2 billion set aside to help bring broadband access to more Americans must be awarded by Sept. 30, 2010...

Are Minnesota cities shut out by broadband rules?

Federal grantmakers for broadband projects will meet in St. Paul today, but Minnesota cities hoping for a chunk of the $7.2 billion in broadband stimulus money fear that the rules are written to shut them out.

The U.S. departments of commerce and agriculture, which have the authority to grant or lend $7.2 billion in federal stimulus money between now and September 2010, are holding a broadband workshop at the Crowne Plaza hotel in St. Paul. It's one of more than a half-dozen meetings around the country and is likely to focus on the details of how to apply for the federal stimulus money...

It's time to get to work for the FCC Chairman Genachowski | Blogs | ITBusinessEdge.com

It’s important to consider this Washington Post interview with Julius Genachowski in the context of the difference between his laying out idealistic goals at the inception of his chairmanship on one side and actually doing the "herding cats" job of governing on the other.

In the interview, Genachowski points to his desire to encourage small entrepreneurs. That's laudable. But he deals only with generalities, and addresses no specific issue. There is no doubt that the real world will intrude sooner rather than later. The story points out tangible and difficult issues with which Genachowski’s FCC will have to deal. They include network unbundling, frequency licensing and the right of vendors and cellular carriers to enter exclusive contracts with device makers...

Are Minnesota cities shut out by broadband rules?

Federal grantmakers for broadband projects will meet in St. Paul today, but Minnesota cities hoping for a chunk of the $7.2 billion in broadband stimulus money fear that the rules are written to shut them out.

The U.S. departments of commerce and agriculture, which have the authority to grant or lend $7.2 billion in federal stimulus money between now and September 2010, are holding a broadband workshop at the Crowne Plaza hotel in St. Paul. It's one of more than a half-dozen meetings around the country and is likely to focus on the details of how to apply for the federal stimulus money...

The economic benefits of broadband | Speed Matters – Internet Speed Test

In a troubled economy, broadband gives businesses the competitive boost they need. As President of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF), a proud partner of Speed Matters, my colleagues and I promote public policies that will advance technological innovation and productivity. Together, we're raising awareness of the economic benefits to broadband expansion.

High speed connections accelerate development by providing new opportunities for innovation, expansion and e-commerce. The Economic Growth and Quality Jobs Benefits section highlights the many ways in which broadband boosts business...

The next steps in US broadband

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration has outlined the grants process for the first round of broadband grants authorized under the US stimulus package, amounting to $4 billion. Although the speed thresholds have been set very low and the stimulus in general is weighted towards rural areas, the guidelines ultimately represent an important step in the right direction.

When it comes to broadband access, it has been well-documented that the US has gone from leading to lagging over the past decade. Indeed, according to rankings published last year, the US has dropped to 15th among OECD countries, despite a strong start in the 1990s. Subsequent studies and advocates have repeatedly pointed out that this has severely impacted economic and social development, particularly among less-connected rural areas which struggle to attract businesses and citizens...

Short broadband stimulus deadline worries CIOs

CIOs of municipal governments are worried they won't have enough time to meet the Aug. 14 application deadline for the first round of grants set aside for broadband projects in the U.S. economic stimulus package.

Local governments had expected 60 to 90 days for preparation, based on what they heard in meetings with the Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Utilities Service (RUS) -- the two agencies that are doling out the total $7.2 billion of stimulus money for broadband. Instead, the agencies released a notice of funds availability (NOFA) that gave governments little more than 30 days...

How broadband stimulus could bolster the VoIP market: 8x8

With a nudge from federal officials as to Internet telephony’s usefulness as an application, the proliferation of broadband Internet – an effort now underway in earnest, with stimulus funds behind it – could help boost the VoIP market, officials with the Santa Clara, Calif.-based provider of Packet8 business, mobile and residential broadband communications services told TMCnet in an interview.

Huw Rees (News - Alert), the vice president of business development at 8x8 Inc., also told TMCnet that while his company applauds efforts to bring broadband Internet to the nation’s more remote areas, it’s still critical that the government focus on teaching people about applications they may want to use...

Telecoms target stimulus money - Denver Business Journal:

Companies are racing to tap federal stimulus programs aimed at spreading high-speed Internet access, with proposals ranging from infrastructure expansion to subsidizing computers with satellite broadband service. Two federal agencies, which are in charge of $7.2 billion earmarked to expand broadband access under the stimulus program, published rules July 1 for the first round of $4 billion in loans and grants being offered for projects.

Local companies have hustled since then to see what proposals make sense and can be finished in the six-week application window that ends Aug. 14, said Monisha Merchant, director of product management for Level 3 Communications Inc...

Affordable broadband for everyone

The new head of the FCC wants affordable broadband access for every man, woman, and child in America. Julius Genachowski told The Wall Street Journal in an interview that the Web has been perhaps "the most successful driver of economic growth" in the country.

Missing from plans for the new program is any realistic way to pay for it. Providing broadband access, even to those who cannot afford it, can be readily accomplished in most cities. The infrastructure is in place. Hooking up new subscribers within these geographic areas is not terribly expensive. The government only has to decide who will bear the modest costs -- the taxpayers or the telecom and cable companies who own the systems. The idea of private firms paying the freight would be novel, but it could be part of deals for them to keep exclusive franchises in big cities...

Want broadband? Move into a dorm « Blandin on Broadband

There’s an essay today on the Minnesota 2020 site that caught my attention: Where’s my Internet? It the story of a techie kid growing up too far from the grid to get broadband, the thrill of moving into a dorm with broadband and an interesting take on public input on the ARRA funding...

Robert J. Samuelson - President Obama, Democratic Congress's squandered stimulus - washingtonpost.com

It's not surprising that the much-ballyhooed "economic stimulus" hasn't done much stimulating. President Obama and his aides argue that it's too early to expect startling results. They have a point. A $14 trillion economy won't revive in a nanosecond.

But the defects of the $787 billion package go deeper and won't be cured by time. The program crafted by Obama and the Democratic Congress wasn't engineered to maximize its economic impact. It was mostly a political exercise, designed to claim credit for any recovery, shower benefits on favored constituencies and signal support for fashionable causes...

FCC chairman has broad approach to Net access - Los Angeles Times

Reporting from Washington -- Expanding high-speed Internet access throughout the United States is a top priority for Julius Genachowski as he starts his term as chairman of the Federal Communications Commission.

Genachowski and the agency are charged by President Obama and Congress with helping to ensure that all Americans can participate in the ongoing technological revolution that is integrating broadband with television and other devices beyond the computer...

Defining broadband | Telecom Ramblings

A few weeks ago, the federal government chose a definition for broadband in the context of the stimulus package and the goal of extending bandwidth to all. The bar they chose, a minimum of 768kbps down and 200kbps up, has been widely panned as a decade late. But since then, I’ve been thinking that having such a ‘definition’ in the first place is the ludicrous part. It just doesn’t make sense to have a single threshold as our goal for every dwelling in the USA.

We should not pretend that urban, suburban, and rural communities have ever or will ever have identical requirements and expectations. When one lives far from everything, one should expect connectivity to be a bit harder to get. For many people, getting away from the bustle of the city is the whole point and they know there is a trade off to be had. Is 768/200 good enough for them? I say it will do as a goal. Alongside living in heavily developed areas comes the expectation of being close to everything, and I don’t see how that goal can be anything less than a direct fiber connection. In the middle you can have a tier where 5-10Mbps seem like the right goal...

A crowd-sourced national communications census - O'Reilly Radar

My last tour of duty in DC was Chief Technology Officer at the Center for American Progress. One of the fun things I got to do was figure out what everybody else did, including my fellow Senior Fellows, the folks that generated most of the policy work, many of whom are now occupying senior posts in the new administration.

One of the most fascinating was Mark Lloyd. An experienced Emmy-winning television producer, communications lawyer, and community activist, Mark is the author of a well-regarded book about communications and democracy and numerous columns. He's currently at the Leadership Conference for Civil Rights...

More rural areas could get broadband - MLive.com

PAW PAW -- Rural areas in southwestern Michigan are counting on federal stimulus dollars to help their Web browsers load more quickly.

The application process to receive a slice of the $7.2 billion being made available by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to extend high-speed Internet service began last week...

OneCommunity seeks millions in stimulus dollars to help reach new customers in rural Ohio - cleveland.com

Dorothy Skowrunski had been waiting eight years to get a decent Internet connection.

That's ever since she and her husband moved from Hudson to a house on 30 acres in the rolling hills of northwest Coshocton County. The couple were at tracted to the quiet countryside and sense of community there...

Stimulus could help bring broadband to rural Pa. | Philadelphia Inquirer | 07/18/2009

HARRISBURG - Jim Swanson, who lives in the forested Northern Tier of Pennsylvania, was finally able to get broadband last month. But much of the tiny, spread-out population in his area of the state still doesn't have access to high-speed Internet service.

The federal stimulus program may be the answer. "The stimulus bill is one of the best things that has happened to a rural area like ours," said Swanson, who directs information services for a regional economic development agency based in Elk County...

Summers says stimulus plan on track despite job losses - NYTimes.com

WASHINGTON — President Obama’s top economic adviser, Lawrence H. Summers, acknowledged in a speech on Friday that unemployment and job losses were higher than the administration projected and would rise further this year even as the economy showed signs of recovery.

“This is obviously a major area of concern,” he said. But Mr. Summers, defending the president’s $787 billion stimulus package of last February against recent criticism from Republicans and some analysts, said rising job losses were “not a basis for concluding that the recovery act is falling short of its goals...”

Will the broadband stimulus package get strangled in the cradle?

More and more, I'm feeling like a volunteer for the “Mark Sanford in 2012 Committee” finding out what “hiking the Appalachian Trail” really means. I have been a huge supporter of this program from the beginning. Even though I have had some concerns along the way, I have tried to keep the faith.

But the more I see about how this will get implemented, and the more deeply I delve into the details, the more I worry that a potentially great program capable of fundamentally altering our broadband future for the better to something so ridiculously screwed up that we will actually lose ground on both future funding and future policy...

Google rallies broadband troops - Telecom News Analysis

Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) wants you to tell the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) how to draw up plans for a national broadband network in the U.S. Under the terms of the economic stimulus Recovery Act package, the FCC has to draft those plans by February 2010. The agency has asked for "maximum civic engagement" in the process.

Google aims to give 'em just that. The search giant has used its official blog to call for submissions on the FCC plans.

How Fast?

So the de facto standard for broadband seems to be 3 megabytes per second. The broadband stimulus will favor proposals (at least for now) coming from areas in which more than 50% of residents have under 3Mb/s. Many folks argue that in order to be competitive with better-wired nations, we need to set a higher national standard. Say, 20 Mb/s everywhere. Or 50. Or more. By this logic, the broadband stimulus needs to support improvements in bandwidth universally, not just showing a preference for un- and underserved areas. I won't quibble with that argument.

I think it's largely true that for too many years our federal policy failed to push speed. Just think, the FCC definition of broadband for most of Martin's tenure was 200 KILObytes/second! Pretty easy benchmark to meet. I agree that much should be done to promote higher speeds ubiquitously...

Post-award chores for successful stimulus applicants

If you are lucky and perseverant enough to be awarded broadband stimulus funds, your travails are not yet over. In fact, they may just be beginning. Awardees under both "BIP" (the program administered by the Rural Utilities Service) and "BTOP" (the NTIA-administered program) must comply with a number of post-award requirements.

We're providing a thumb-nail introduction to those requirements below. As you review the various post-award obligations, keep in mind the stern admonition, at least for BIP winners, that in the event of failure to comply with the terms of an award, "RUS may exercise rights and remedies." That vague but menacing threat is intended to ensure that winners carefully comply with the various post-award requirements...

The rocky road to the broadband stimulus disbursements | Interviews | ITBusinessEdge.com

Carl Weinschenk spoke with Craig Settles, president, Successful.com, and a well-known municipal broadband consultant.

Weinschenk: Where are we now in the process of awards for the broadband element of the stimulus?

Estimated funding by Ohio county

Estimated Funding by County

Choose the county you wish to view from the map or the following list of counties...

FCC seeks insight on international broadband trends - FierceTelecom

As the FCC begins to develop a national broadband policy, the agency wants to know how the rest of the world is providing and using broadband services. With that task in hand, the agency has tasked Harvard University's Berkman Center for Internet and Society to examine studies about worldwide broadband usage.

The goal of this exercise says Blair Levin, who is coordinating the FCC's National Broadband Plan, is not necessarily to build a new plan from scratch, but rather to incorporate elements of what other countries have done in building out their respective broadband access networks...

Washington office videos from 2009 ALA annual conference

The ALA Washington Office was able to videorecord some of our programs at the 2009 ALA Annual Conference in Chicago, and we’re happy to share them here.

Broadband Stimulus Presentation at Washington Office Update, ALA Conference 2009 – featuring Bob Bocher, Chris McLean, Alan Inouye, and Marijke Visser...

Connected Tennessee’s updated broadband inventory map prepares Tennessee for federal stimulus funds | Nathan's Plain Tech Talk

Nashville, TN - Today, Connected Tennessee announced the release of an updated version of the statewide broadband inventory map that illustrates the extent of broadband services available across Tennessee. The Connected Tennessee map, which represents broadband availability data from more than 60 broadband providers across the state, is expected to serve as a key asset for the state as it prepares for federal stimulus funding to support broadband expansion.

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and the USDA’s Rural Utilities Services (RUS) recently released their Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for stimulus funding aimed at expanding broadband, and Tennessee is well positioned to take advantage of the competitive grants...

3 In 4 Americans Use Internet To Combat Recession -- Internet -- InformationWeek

The plunging economy is sending record numbers of American Internet surfers to the Web in search of ways to help them cope with the most difficult recession since the great Depression, according to a report from the Pew Internet & American Life Project.

"Some 69% of all Americans have used the Internet to cope with the recession as they hunt for bargains, jobs, ways to upgrade their skills, better investment strategies, housing options, and government benefits," according to Pew's "Internet and the Recession" report released this week...

Can you fix broadband in the U.S? Tell Google, FCC How | Telecompetitor

Looking to cast as wide a net as possible in the search for good ideas, Google and the New America Foundation have launched a website, using Google Moderator, through which anyone can submit ideas that may wind up being considered by the FCC as it strives to come up with a National Broadband Plan that it can deliver to Congress by a February 2010 deadline.

The two organizations have teamed up for this effort in support of the FCC’s call for “maximum civic engagement” in developing a national broadband strategy. Google set out its own vision as to how to best make broadband Internet available and affordable for all Americans to the FCC two weeks ago...

What broadband stimulus funds can mean for your community « Knight Center Community Connection

Attracting and retaining business is an important part of any community’s economic makeup. And it’s the little guy that can sometimes provide the greatest benefit for many areas.

Small businesses employ over half of the U.S. private workforce. In many communities, small businesses may employ even a higher percentage...

Update: Learn how to apply for stimulus money - todaysthv.com | KTHV | Little Rock, AR

We learned Thursday a lot of people in rural areas of the state could benefit from the President's stimulus money. This week federal workers were in Lonoke helping residents there and around the country apply for some of the pot.
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Representatives from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Department of Commerce are holding just 10 meetings across the country to explain a pot of stimulus money that is specifically designated for installing broadband Internet in rural areas...

Recovery Act: The undecided remain - Telecom News Analysis

Even though the application deadline is less than a month away, some U.S. carriers say they still haven't made up their minds whether to apply for broadband stimulus grants or loans made possible by the Recovery Act.

The government recently released $4 billion to promote the deployment of wired and wireless broadband in under-served areas of the country. (See Biden Boosts Broadband.) While smaller WiMax operators are eager to get in on the Recovery Act, others are still working through the guidelines to decide if they want -- or can qualify for -- a grant or loan by Aug. 15. (See Recovery Act: A WiMax Windfall...

Broadband coverage maps give competitive advantage for stimulus package funds

Broadband coverage maps created with geographic information system (GIS) technology are providing a competitive advantage during the funding application process for $4 billion in broadband grants and loans available through the U.S. American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The maps are produced with the help of Connected Nation, a nonprofit corporation, using ArcGIS technology from ESRI. Several states already have the maps in hand to provide applicants with strong, detailed support for their cases.

Connected Nation develops broadband landscape maps that identify areas with broadband service gaps and has worked with seven states (Kentucky, Ohio, Minnesota, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and West Virginia), with others under development...

Franken out-wonks new colleagues on net-neutrality question for Sotomayor - Digits - WSJ

The junior Senator from Minnesota, Al Franken, asked a decidedly unfunny question Wednesday afternoon when it was his turn to quiz Supreme Court nominee Sonya Sotomayor.

Franken turned to the contentious issue of net neutrality, or rules that would require cable and phone companies to treat legal Internet traffic equally and would prevent the creation of a two-tiered system that would allow speedier deliver of premium services...

Federal broadband too slow for Red Wing & Northfield « Blandin on Broadband

Many people were disappointed with the definition of broadband used in the NTIA/RUS NOFA for stimulus funding especially in regards to defining underserved. Specifically they define broadband as “Internet with advertised speeds of at least 768 kilobits per second (kbps) downstream and at least 200 kbps upstream.”

Here’s how that is having an impact on two Minnesota communities...

Google wants to know how you'd change broadband | Web Crawler - CNET News

Google has partnered with the New America Foundation to create a community feedback forum for ideas on how to improve broadband in the U.S. Users can submit their ideas, which are voted on by others using Google Moderator's yay or nay system.

The forum will be open for the next two weeks, after which Google is going to take some of the top-voted ideas to its proposal which is being submitted to the Federal Communications Commission. The FCC will then take some or all of those ideas to congress early next year as part of the economic stimulus plan...

Team will judge RI broadband projects for stimulus money | WPRI.com

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) - Gov. Don Carcieri has created a team to evaluate broadband projects in Rhode Island that could be paid for by federal stimulus funding.

A stimulus package passed by Congress includes $7.2 billion to create or expand broadband access to poorly served areas, public safety agencies, libraries and schools, among others...

What do broadband stimulus decisions signal about future broadband & net neutrality policy? « Publius Forum

What do the Administration’s new “NOFA” guidelines, which implement the $7.2b broadband stimulus package, tell us about the trajectory for broadband and net neutrality policy going forward?

If one listened to just the public comments of net neutrality proponents one would miss a lot of important substance and clues about where broadband and net neutrality policy may be going, given that these new grant guidelines/conditions are the first major official broadband guidance stemming from the new Congress and the new Administration...

ALA 2009 - National Broadband Initiative — SELCO/SELS

Since the passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) there has been a buzz about broadband, middle-mile, last mile and fiber being part of the President’s stimulus plan. ARRA includes $7.2 billion for broadband and finally, last week, the NOFA (Notice of Fund Availability) and the related Federal eligibility guidelines came out with a very tight window for the first application cycle.

The electronic filing for the first round will open July 14 with a 30-day deadline of August 14. Truly a time crunch when trying to absorb the complexity of the different funding streams, eligibility requirements that vary between two separate Federal agencies, and definitions of “unserved” and “underserved” that are still being refined...

The buzz about Quantum Networks

Wireless technology has caused quite a stir in the press over the past couple of weeks, what with the Obama administration publishing the criteria for broadband grants and loans, Clearwire launching WiMAX in Las Vegas, and numerous reports predicting the fate of 4G technology. Quantum Networks has followed the latest 4G news, and made some of it too.

Quantum recently announced its foray into the advanced broadband wireless market as rural America’s most competent provider of all things WiMAX. Followers of telecom happenings read about Quantum’s installation services and equipment offerings in a press release introducing the company and stating its objectives...

Interview: ADTRAN on the ABCs of broadband stimulus

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act – better known as the $787 billion “economic stimulus package,” signed into law a few months ago – outlines some $7.2 billion in funding to be used to bring broadband coverage to un-served or underserved areas.

There’s been a lot of debate on the topic of broadband stimulus, and many in the industry have shared their views and opinions. Among those on the frontlines has been ADTRAN (News - Alert)...

Broadband stimulus details separating likely winners, losers | Unfiltered

The so-called ‘broadband stimulus chill’ is thawing as the federal government’s recently released guidelines shed more light on how broadband stimulus funds will be applied.

In its second-quarter earnings report today, broadband equipment vendor Adtran (NASDAQ: ADTN) said small rural telcos were continuing to free up spending that had been frozen in the first quarter as they puzzled over which plans could coincide with stimulus bids. (The company made similar comments in April, though a rival, Occam Networks, cited the stimulus chill as it cut 10% of its staff in May...)

Democrats hope to speed Obama’s stimulus - BostonHerald.com

Boston - Senate Democrats said Tuesday that President Obama’s $787 billion stimulus program needs to be fixed to ensure money is spent more quickly and on projects that will provide a faster boost to the economy.

They expressed their concern even as Mr. Obama warned that unemployment will continue to rise, and as a Washington Times analysis shows the states that have lost the most jobs this year are receiving less money per capita from the stimulus bill than states that are doing relatively well...

If I was the broadband czar …

Somebody asked me the other day what I would do if I was the “czar” of the broadband stimulus. They figured with my focus on the federal government, maybe I had some special insight into making the stimulus a success.

Personally, I don’t think it takes special insight so much as recognition of some basic, common-sense principles to make the more than $7 billion investment provide some worthwhile payoff. Cynics may ask when the last time was the government relied on common-sense principles, but in my czardom, we would have them. For instance, Principle Number One is clear rules. Any service provider or other company that wants to participate should know what it needs to do and by when. As the stock market has always shown, business hates uncertainty, so clarity would be the first priority...

Top ten ways the NTIA/RUS NOFA fails America

It's kind of surreal to know that today NTIA and RUS began accepting applications for broadband stimulus grants and loans. After months of waiting for signs of progress all of a sudden we're entering the next stage of the process started when the ARRA passed in February.

And yet I, like many others, can't help but be disappointed by the many ways in which this effort has already been letting us down, frustrated by the lack of vision to set America back on course to be the Internet's global leader and worried that despite the good intentions expressed in speeches and interviews that the Obama Administration's first opportunity to push forward their broadband agenda is fast becoming a boondoggle...

AT&T: How the biggest telecom goes after stimulus - Jul. 14, 2009

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Big businesses are battling to take home chunks of the government's billion-dollar stimulus pie and AT&T is among the leaders on the telecom front.

While the telecom giant can't go after stimulus funds directly, its clients include many government agencies that are on the receiving end of those funds. And that puts AT&T in a strong position...

Tax credit for broadband infrastructure legislation introduced | Telecompetitor

Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson has introduced the Connecting America Act of 2009 to help boost broadband in unserved and underserved markets. Unlike the current grant and loan program underway through the broadband stimulus program, Hutchinson’s approach uses tax credits for companies investing in broadband infrastructure.

In what could be construed as a repudiation of the current stimulus program approach, Hutchinson says broadband development requires a “…a comprehensive approach that encourages private sector investment in our unserved areas and reform of existing federal programs to make sure we are spending scarce public resources in the most effective way.” The bill also allows communities to raise funding for “technology neutral” community broadband projects through bond issuance...

Harvard unit to review FCC broadband studies - Telecom News Wire

WASHINGTON -- The Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University will conduct an independent expert review of existing literature and studies about broadband deployment and usage throughout the world. This project will help inform the FCC’s efforts in developing the National Broadband Plan.

“Advanced communications have the potential to enhance the lives of all Americans, improve public safety, create jobs, and support our economic recovery,” Chairman Julius Genachowski said. “As the Commission embarks on the important task of crafting a National Broadband Plan, better data will inform and animate the activities of the agency. The Berkman Center’s independent review of existing information will help lay the foundation for enlightened, data-driven decisionmaking. I appreciate the Berkman Center’s invaluable assistance and look forward to seeing the results...”

Recovery Act: A WiMax windfall - Telecom News Analysis

WiMax is so far the technology of choice for the companies seeking broadband stimulus funds to reach underserved areas, Unstrung finds, as the application process gets underway today.
The application period for the first $4 billion in broadband stimulus funds starts today and will end on the evening of Aug. 14.

Doubtless, the list of companies that are applying will expand over the next month, but at the moment smaller WiMax operators are the ones that have gone public with their desire for stimulus money. (See Small Wireless Firms Get Set for Recovery Funds...)

Broadband adoption, benefits on the rise

Home broadband adoption increased more than six-fold between 2001 and 2008, and while gaps in adoption still exist, gaps in valuation no longer do, according to a study released today by the Internet Innovation Alliance (IIA). The report found that with $32 billion gains in 2008, consumers received more than $30 billion in benefits annually from using broadband at home...

Rural areas in Florida may miss out on cash for high-speed Internet - OrlandoSentinel.com

For three years, Margaret Anschutz and her family have sent letters, started petitions and done everything they can to bring high-speed Internet to their neighborhood in rural Umatilla.

Without it, her oldest son has to wake up early to use the computer at his girlfriend's house or stay late at school to finish assignments for his college classes. Her husband has to bring his laptop to a fast-food restaurant so he can use the free Wi-Fi. Anschutz has given up on using the super-slow dial-up at the house, opting instead to use a computer at work during breaks. And the family may have to wait even longer...

Broadband access growth demands smart data centers

Communications technology continues to advance, reaching new levels of complexity and speed, resulting in ever-increasing volumes of network traffic, and impacting nearly every aspect of the network, from the end users accessing applications and resources to the smart data centers that host them. Smart data centers leverage intelligent infrastructures to accommodate growing demand while ensuring operational efficiency, mitigate risk, and generally increase data center productivity.

While this is a logical evolution driven by the convergence of communications and computing, the perpetual innovation in communications and networking solutions only underscores the fact that data centers must increase their focus on infrastructure to ensure their operational efficiency improves. Despite technological enhancements, the need for infrastructure efficiency remains constant...

Stimulus broadband funds aim to expand public access, service and mapping

Washington, July 6 -- Applications will soon be invited for billions of dollars in stimulus funding to expand high-speed Internet services to communities with slow or no Internet connections. The monies will be made available through a series of initiatives coordinated and run by several federal agencies. Eligibility extends to a wide range of prospective applicants, including state and local public agencies, nonprofit organizations and for-profit businesses.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) provided $7.2 billion to the Commerce Department's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Rural Utilities Service (RUS) to provide broadband -- that is, "high-speed" -- Internet service in underserved pockets of the United States, including rural and low-income communities...

Urban areas join rural regions in the quest for broadband funds - Sacramento Business Journal:

The American Reinvestment and Recovery Act has targeted $7.2 billion to bring broadband to more Americans, and now underserved urban areas are eligible for the grants as well as rural regions.
The money had been primarily aimed at expanding broadband service to rural areas, but with the urging of some in Congress, urban areas were included in the program.

Sacramento Congresswoman Doris Matsui in April asked that some of the funds go to poor neighborhoods in urban settings, and got six other members of Congress to sign her request...

A Blog - The upcoming regulation of American telcos

Look out, telecommunications industry – you’re about to be regulated.

Perhaps better phrased as “reregulated” or “further regulated in an industry previously left to regulate itself”, but the sentiment is the same. Phone, cable, and other telcos are not happy with what appears to be Federal regulation of broadband services coming in the near future, as the FCC, FTC, and even Congress itself take an interest in the practices of Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and Net Neutrality. The next few years may do for broadband in America what the early years of the millennium did for the cell phone market: expand and encourage competition, enforce customer rights and protections, and establish a baseline of acceptable/expected practices...

Principal broadband stimulus winners likely to be the three Cs: Contractors, Corning, and Calix

NASHVILLE, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Large construction firms contracted by the independent telcos will get the biggest amount of money because about 60 percent of Fiber-To-The-home (FTTH) costs are in this activity, according to a recent report by Telecom Pragmatics. Corning is the dominant optical fiber provider in the US as well as a large supplier of other outside plant equipment.

Calix will likely continue to be the market share leader as an overall access provider to the IOCs because as a private company, it can afford to put market share ahead of margin...

Stimulus aid Is said to be moving faster - WSJ.com

WASHINGTON -- The Obama administration says it has been on a "learning curve" with the economic-stimulus package but has now figured out how to spend some of the available billions more quickly.

Many tax cuts, which account for a third of the $787 billion package, have already taken effect. But only $60.4 billion of the remaining $499 billion has been spent. Most of the money was always likely to be spent this summer at the earliest as departments wrestled with the increased workload and new requirements imposed by the bill. The White House isn't changing its goal of spending 70% of the funds by September 2010...

Broadband stimulus now is blocking and tackling

For potential broadband stimulus applicants, about 90 percent of what must be done now is blocking and tackling, possibly 10 percent is about inspiration. The reason is simply that with the notice of funding availability now out, applicants have until Aug. 14, 2009 to get their completed applications submitted.

NTIA applications must be screened for completeness first, say attorneys at DowLohnes. And since incomplete applications automatically get rejected, applicants now must "write to the regs," crafting responses that address as many of the identified objectives as possible while supplying all the required supporting documentation. That's a tedious, labor-intensive process, but essential...

Qwest Rejoins U.S. Telecom Assn.

Qwest Communications is rejoining the U.S. Telecom Association as high-speed Internet issues take on a higher profile in Washington. The Denver-based telecommunications firm, which provides local service in 14 western states, left the association eight years ago "because we believed it to be in our best interests to do so at that time," a company spokesman said Friday.

He declined to elaborate on the circumstances of the split but a 2001 Washington Post story shed some light on the rift: "Depending on whom you talk to, USTA either suspended [Qwest] for not paying its rather hefty dues or the company quit the group after growing apart." At the time, Qwest's annual dues were nearly $800,000, but the company had negotiated a 25 percent reduction, the article said...

ERF seeks $20m in Recovery Act funds - Telecom News Analysis

ERF Wireless Inc. says it will ask the U.S. government for around $20 million in broadband stimulus money to build out three separate WiMax projects in rural America. The government released $4 billion of a planned $7.6 billion in broadband stimulus money last week. Now firms like ERF and TowerStream Corp. (Nasdaq: TWER) are planning to apply for grants and loans, as allowed by the Recovery Act. (See Small Wireless Firms Get Set for Recovery Funds.)

"We would be looking to go for something at least in the 20 million [dollar] range," Dr. H. Dean Cubley, chairman and CEO, tells Unstrung. He says that this could increase to $100 million if ERF can partner with other companies around stimulus package projects...

Real broadband growth: There's China, there's the U.S. and then there's everybody else

While stimulus apologists insist the U.S. has fallen way behind in terms of broadband, actual numbers bear out the opposite. In terms of broadband connections, as of the end of the first quarter 2009, the U.S., with 84 million, is second only to China’s 88 million, according to Point Topic, a U.K.-based research firm that has been tracking broadband numbers for more than a decade. After China and the U.S., numbers dramatically drop off.

Japan ranks third, but with 30.6 million. South Korea, often held up as the example of broadband progress, ranks seventh with 15.4 million connections (see graph below)...

Online is in line to sign you up - Standard.NET - Standard-Examiner

Fifteen years ago, residential Internet service in Utah was pretty much limited to dial-up.
Fast-forward to today and options are everywhere, from wireless signals passing through the air to an ever-expanding network of underground cables.

Throw in a network backed by tax dollars that is bringing fiber-optic lines directly into Top of Utah homes, and you have significant and competing options for local residents looking to drive on the information superhighway...

Monitoring the stimulus package: Broadband bailout is narrow in its vision - NAM

SAN FRANCISCO -- The Obama administration is poised to spend $7.2 billion in stimulus money to expand broadband Internet access to rural America and under-served urban communities.

But after sitting though an administration-sponsored broadband stimulus national town hall meeting Thursday, it seemed clear that those who are supposed to benefit from the stimulus plan are not even at the table...

Reps say broadband stimulus rules complex, murky, rigid

As the dust settles on guidelines the Obama administration released for the $7.2 billion broadband stimulus program, lawmakers are beginning to raise concerns that the hurried effort has led to rigid requirements, inconsistencies and murky definitions.

House Agriculture Rural Development Subcommittee ranking member Mike Conaway, R-Texas, complained at a hearing today about conditions requiring recipients of broadband grants to refrain from favoring proprietary content on their Internet systems and permit the interconnection of competing carriers. "I'm concerned that these new requirements would prevent new applicants from applying," Conaway warned...

Can VDSL2 turn copper into stimulus gold?

Very High Speed DSL 2 (VDSL2) is the highest-speed mainstream access technology that can be deployed by telcos using existing copper pairs.

Its ability to deliver downstream data rates of up to 100 Mbit/s over short distances makes it suitable for the delivery of triple-play services; it can support fast upstream; and it is also touted by vendors as a mobile network backhaul technology...

Impressions from the first broadband stimulus workshop | Telecompetitor

I attended the first Broadband Stimulus workshop in suburban Washington D.C. today. This workshop was a first in a series of upcoming broadband stimulus workshops taking place over the coming weeks in multiple locations across the U.S. Today’s workshop provided much more detail on both the RUS Broadband Initiative Program (BIP) and the NTIA Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP). Having the broadband stimulus program notice of funds availability (NOFA) published helped provide these details. While the workshop offered much more insight into these programs, there still remains many unanswered questions.

The workshop started as most of these government sponsored workshops do – with a series of government dignitaries – both federal and local – touting the importance of broadband. Listening to them, you’d think broadband is taking its rightful place next to apple pie in American lore. One conclusion I drew from these opening remarks is that the stimulus program is more than just about rural. More than a couple speakers representing urban interests, including Prince George’s County Executive Jack Johnson, indicated their intention to pursue stimulus funding for ‘unserved and underserved’ populations in Prince George’s County, Maryland . Prince George’s county (the location of the workshop) is about as far from rural as you can get (well, at least most of it)...

GAO: Stimulus dollars flowing in Ohio - Business Courier of Cincinnati:

A new report from the federal government’s congressional watchdog indicates stimulus dollars are being put to work across Ohio, but it also points to challenges that lay ahead.

The Government Accountability Office in a bimonthly snapshot of stimulus spending in Ohio released Wednesday shows progress is being made in a number of key funding areas. Several state and local government officials in Central Ohio have told Columbus Business First that the federal cash is being delivered as promised...

NTIA seeks volunteers to review broadband applications - PC World

The U.S. National Telecommunications and Information Administration, scheduled to distribute US$4.7 billion in broadband deployment grants over the next 15 months, will count on volunteers to review grant applications.

The NTIA, in a document released this week, asks for people to apply to become volunteer reviewers of the broadband grants. The NTIA's broadband grant program is part of $7.2 billion that the U.S. Congress approved for broadband in a huge economic stimulus package approved earlier this year...

Senate nears vote on rethinking U.S. spectrum - InternetNews.com

WASHINGTON -- A Senate committee yesterday passed a bill that would direct two federal agencies overseeing the nation's wireless spectrum to conduct an inventory to determine how the various bands of airwaves are being used.

The Radio Spectrum Inventory Act, introduced by Sens. John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Olympia Snowe (R-Maine), cleared the Commerce Committee by unanimous vote. The bill now awaits consideration by the full Senate...

What? Volunteers to approve $4.7 billion in broadband grants? « Fighting the Next Good Fight

Now there’s a headline that’ll give a grant writer pause – and the rest of the broadband project team terminal heartburn.

NTIA unveiled in Boston yesterday they intend to recruit an army of volunteers to make up the panels that do the first round of the review process. This legion of un-paid but patriotic souls will determine whose grant applications make the cut by meeting the basic requirements according to the NOFA rules...

New map to show North Carolinians where broadband is

RALEIGH – Lawmakers, internet providers and others say that North Carolina took a step forward on Thursday in helping to bring broadband internet service to all homes in the state.

Connect NC, through the General Assembly and internet providers, launched an interactive Web site Thursday which allows people to see where broadband is provided in North Carolina, by whom and at what speed. State leaders say this will help give North Carolina a competitive advantage in its efforts to be granted broadband federal stimulus dollars...

Horvath Towers signs national build to suit with Open Range Communications

Horvath Towers, a leading tower developer, has signed a national Build to Suit Agreement with Open Range Communications (ORC), headquartered in Greenwood Village, Colo.

In January 2009, Open Range Communications received a $100 million investment from JPMorgan's private equity arm, One Equity Partners (OEP). This investment was a prerequisite to a $267 million Broadband Access Loan from the United States Department of Agriculture's Rural Development Utilities Program (RDUP). Within the next five years, Open Range, through the use of WiMAX technology, plans to deliver wireless broadband to more than 500 un-served and underserved communities within the United States...

Updated: NTIA relying on volunteers to evaluate broadband grant proposals - FierceBroadbandWireless

The National Telecommunication and Information Administration (NTIA) is putting billions of tax dollars into the hands of volunteers.

You heard it right. The agency, which is in charge of doling out the majority of stimulus money ($4.7 billion) going for broadband, is looking for people who are willing to work for free to serve as panelists to evaluate all of the grant proposals that are expected to flood the agency's office starting July 14...

North Carolina legislature releases broadband inventory maps as first step to maximize federal stimulus

Rep. Bill Faison and other legislative and executive branch leaders joined high-speed Internet service providers, North Carolina Farm Bureau, and Connect North Carolina to announce the release of the state's first accurate broadband inventory map that illustrates the extent of broadband services available across North Carolina.

The Connect North Carolina map, which represents broadband availability data from more than 30 broadband providers across the state, is expected to serve as a key asset for the state's application process for federal stimulus funding to support broadband investment. In light of the short timeframe outlined in the recently released broadband stimulus Notice of Funding Availability, North Carolina is now prepared to quickly and efficiently outline the state's need for improved broadband investment...

Luck favors the prepared « Blandin on Broadband

I’ve been thinking about my favorite line from The Incredibles lately – luck favors the prepared (originally from Louis Pastuer). I’ve been thinking about it in terms of the broadband stimulus funding and in terms of creating vital rural communities.

I think most folks reading this will make the connection between broadband and vital – but for a quick tangible reminder, I think Steve Borsch has done a nice job talking about what you can do with broadband and why it’s important for everyone to have access...

Setting the stage for local broadband - Times-Standard Online

A new chairman convened his first meeting of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in Washington, D.C., last week (July 2, 2009), and the Obama era of U.S. communications policy officially began.

Just a week later in Eureka, representatives of Humboldt, Mendocino, Trinity and Del Norte counties will convene a governance group for regional broadband collaborations along with tribal jurisdictions of the Redwood Coast region of California. Are these two events related?
Could we be witnessing a “Eureka!” moment for U.S. broadband efforts?...

Attack on government computers draws speculation and shrugs - Los Angeles Times

Reporting from Washington -- Despite a broad and persistent cyber attack whose targets included the White House, the New York Stock Exchange and the Washington Post, government websites were operating normally on Wednesday, officials said.

The attack began July 4 and caused little damage, but it touched off a debate among experts over whether it represented a mild nuisance or the opening salvo of a potential electronic war...

FCC broadband roadmap hoping to quell stimulus chaos

July 14 - November 7: Stimulus packages

When the Recovery Act ordered the FCC to come up with a report on how to tackle the things, it also authorized $7.2 billion dollars to go towards broadband projects, as part of a stimulus package. $4 billion of this must be given away by September 10, next year, but apparently round one of awards will begin November 7...

Senator Young says broadband funding is available - ObserverToday.com | News, Sports, Jobs, Community Information - Dunkirk | The Observer

ALBANY - Senator Catharine Young (R,C,I Olean) announced area schools, libraries, and other community organizations currently without broadband services can apply for $7.2 billion of federal stimulus grants and loans to help bring broadband service to un-served and underserved communities.

"Our economy will grow and we will have more jobs and career opportunities if we have infrastructure such as broadband," Young said. "It is critical to receive this support to ensure that communities in rural areas have the same access to technology as areas in other parts of the state..."

Govt to release $4 billion in stimulus funds for broadband | VentureBeat

If you want some stimulus money from the federal government, now’s the time to get in line.

The National Telecommunications Infrastructure Administration (NTIA) and the Rural Utilities Service have issued their rules for those seeking funds from a $4 billion pool of stimulus funding for broadband projects. DLA Piper, a law firm following the giveaway, has more details...

Broadband stimulus update

In June we toured the state to get people curious about the upcoming $7.2 billion stimulus package intended to begin the process of laying down a national broadband infrastructure. Big broadband. We visited 14 cities throughout Wisconsin and started the process of gathering and pushing information about how Wisconsin communities can participate in these efforts.

This is something you want to be a part of...

Broadband stimulus excludes urban areas, says city CIO

Requirements for broadband money set aside in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) will exclude urban areas if language in the federal government's notice of funds available (NOFA) released last week goes unchanged, Steve Ferguson, CIO of San Jose, Calif., told Government Technology this week. He contends the requirements exclude urban cities and urban counties by requiring them to be either "un-served" or "underserved" by broadband coverage.

The broadband stimulus NOFA defines an area as "underserved" if it meets at least one of the following three requirements...

Broadband stimulus money to flow soon; How will public safety benefit? - Urgent Communications article

The Obama administration announced late last week that entities seeking broadband stimulus funding can begin to submit their applications on July 14 and will have until Aug. 14 to apply for the first round of funds that will be released by September.

The Rural Utilities Service (RUS) and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), the agencies in charge of issuing a total of $7.2 billion for broadband deployments in underserved and unserved areas, issued a 121-page Notice of Funds Availability. The question is: How might the move benefit public safety?...

How the broadband stimulus so far fails innovation

The rules surrounding the release of $4 billion in federal funds aimed at providing better broadband and creating jobs announced last week have so far disappointed applicants hoping to deliver advanced broadband services such as fiber to the home. Instead, the rules associated with the first release of grant funds appear to be targeted at getting connectivity to rural areas – ignoring places where customers can get the minimum standard of broadband, which the government has set at 768 kbps.

This means projects like a downtown fiber optic pipe in tiny Canby, Ore., aren’t going to get money, since that area of Canby already has service that meets the definition of broadband...

Missouri Gov. looks to private sector to land broadband stimulus dollars - CivSource

In the wake of a Commerce Department and White House announcement appropriating $4 billion in federal stimulus spending on rural broadband, Missouri Governor Jay Nixon has announced an initiative to bring business and government together to deliver broadband Internet access to Missouri.

In the first round of Recovery Act funding for broadband, Commerce Secretary Locke and Vice President Biden announced the availability of $4 billion in loans and grants to help bring broadband service to unserved and underserved communities across America...

ERF seeks BB funds

Add another one to the companies hoping to get a piece of the broadband stimulus package: ERF Wireless, which has been quietly building out fixed WiMAX in rural areas.

The company believes it is eligible for stimulus funding for rural and underserved areas of the country, says CEO Dean Cubley. It’s taking a two-pronged approach: pursuing a multi-state application process and partnering with companies that don’t have existing operations...

Go-Stimulus Partnership Program - Harris Stratex Networks

Harris Stratex is offering FREE grant assistance to qualified customers. Our technical experts and grant consultants will work with you to understand your project and provide you with a detailed report for your winning stimulus application...

The Missouri plan for broadband stimulus

The Missouri plan to achieve statewide broadband access by 2014, funded with federal stimulus money, may well represent the best model for stimulus applicants to follow to improve their odds of winning.

The Show-Me State is looking to partner with various public and private entities to fill in its objectives, including Big River Telephone Company, which, although based in Missouri, operates in several states...

Runcom announces WiMAX packaged solutions to meet the objectives of the BIP/BTOP broadband stimulus funds

Runcom announces pre-packaged WiMAX solutions aimed at assisting communities and agencies to bid for, and deploy cost effective broadband solutions. The Federal BTOP and BIP Broadband Stimulus programs are looking for proposals that deliver the most affordable broadband access at the greatest speed to the greatest populations of users in the area, with a specific focus on delivering enhanced service for health care delivery, education and underserved residents.

WiMAX broadband wireless is a proven solution in meeting these objectives for fixed, nomadic and mobile users and now the pre-packaged end to end solutions from Runcom enable networks to be planned and delivered with reduced complexity and risk..."

Telecommuting and the broadband superhighway | Newgeography.com

The internet has become part of our nation’s mass transit system: It is a vehicle many people can use, all at once, to get to work, medical appointments, schools, libraries and elsewhere.

Telecommuting is one means of travel the country can no longer afford to sideline. The nation’s next transportation funding legislation must promote the telecommuting option...aggressively...

Small wireless firms get set for recovery funds - Telecom News Analysis

Many of the larger wireless providers quizzed by Unstrung say they're "undecided" on whether to make a bid for the $7+ billion in broadband network loans and grants set aside as part of the Recovery Act. (See Buy American? Not if It's Broadband.)

Clearwire LLC (Nasdaq: CLWR), Sprint Nextel Corp. (NYSE: S), and Verizon Wireless all fall into the undecided camp. AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) hasn't yet responded to questions about a bid. (See Defining Broadband...)

Adelstein: Rural broadband deployment is key priority - 2009-07-07 16:04:52 EDT | Broadcasting & Cable

Former FCC Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein said rural broadband deployment would be key to his new job as administrator of the Agriculture Department's Rural Utilities Service...

Braun has grander vision for Harris Stratex than backhaul

A lot has changed at Harris Stratex Networks (NASDAQ:HSTX) in the year since Harald Braun took over as chief executive officer. When the former Siemens Communications’ networks President joined Harris Stratex, the company was focused primarily on IP mobile backhaul, but it’s beginning to resemble the end-to-end supplier that Braun left. In the last year, Harris Stratex has either bought or built a full complement of radio access and core products that allow it to offer its customers for the first time a full network solution...

Mo. seeks businesses to expand high-speed Internet with stimulus - St. Louis Business Journal:

Missouri wants to hire businesses for a project that will use hundreds of millions in stimulus dollars to expand high-speed, broadband Internet access statewide.

The MoBroadbandNow project envisions a fiber-optic broadband backbone that will connect every cluster of 50 or more dwellings, as well as “anchor institutions” such as schools and hospitals, with high-speed broadband Internet access...

Welcome to Broadband.gov

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act) was signed into law on February 17, 2009. The Broadband Initiatives funded in the Act are intended to accelerate broadband deployment across the United States. The Recovery Act authorizes the FCC to create the National Broadband Plan, that “shall seek to ensure that all people of the United States have access to broadband capability and shall establish benchmarks for meeting that goal.” This website contains information on the FCC National Broadband Plan. Please visit www.fcc.gov for more information about other FCC efforts, or browse the “Initiatives” section of this web site to learn what exciting efforts other agencies are pursuing to support the goals of the Recovery Act. Learn More...

Be patient, broadband jobs will come « Knight Center Community Connection

Run a standard word search through the 121 page, NTIA/RUS Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) document and you’ll find the word “jobs” only six times.

Broadband stimulus, like all stimulus, is under a microscope and eventually could come under fire as critics of the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act say jobs are not coming...

Broadband stimulus applications available

RUS and NTIA have released the applications for the broadband stimulus grants and loan. Please visit BroadbandUSA to download them. The deadline for submissions is 5 PM ET on August 14th. According to RUS and NTIA, an electronic application form will be available by July 31st. Those seeking more than $1 million must use this form...

Government’s $4B Broadband package buoys channel partners

Channel partners serving outlying communities stand to benefit from the U.S. Commerce Department’s newly released $4 billion in stimulus funding to bring high-speed Internet access to underserved areas throughout the country.

The federal government recently made available grants and loans amounting to more than half of the overall $7.2 billion authorized by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) for broadband expansion to communities with limited or no high-speed Internet service...

Stimulus funding aids broadband expansion - Washington Times

Beckley, W.Va., boasts of its low crime rate, lofty plateaus of forest and farmland, access to interstate highways, national parks, tourism, technology and transportation. What it doesn't have is broadband — but Mayor Emmett Pugh is going to do something about that.

The Obama administration's stimulus package has allotted $7.2 billion for broadband access, and Mr. Pugh and representatives from another region of West Virginia have joined together to submit an application to receive up to $50 million of the stimulus funds...

Little love for government on broadband stimulus program

Enthusiasm for the federal government’s handling of the broadband stimulus plan so far is a little underwhelming, to say the least. Both the Department of Agriculture’s RUS program and the Department of Commerce’s NTIA are in need of some love, relative to the BTOP and BIP programs.

Heck, even the government itself is being critical of the stimulus program to date. Congress’ Agriculture Committee has expressed skepticism of the developing broadband stimulus roadmap. Is all of this criticism due to the current popular trend of ‘piling on the government’ as wasteful, inefficient, and even incompetent? Or something else?...

RUS and NTIA: Surfing the Net in the Waves of Grain | Wimax News

Just last week, the Obama administration published some of the criteria for its broadband stimulus money-doling. This event followed President Obama’s signage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), which allocated $7.2 billion to the US Departments of Agriculture and Commerce to improve broadband development in rural and remote areas of the US.

The Rural Utilities Service (RUS)–a subsidiary of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA)–and the National Telecommunications Information Administration (NTIA)–a subsidiary of the US Department of Commerce (USDC)–were entrusted with the responsibility of handing out the money to appropriate applicants. Here is a simple, yet comprehensive guide to the who, what, and where of this major government windfall..

It's go time for the stimulus package | Blogs | ITBusinessEdge.com

I wrote a post last week that noted that planning for the stimulus package is hitting its crescendo. Ars Technica fills out some of the details of the timeline.

The story says that the schedule is backed to February 17, when the FCC must send a National Broadband Plan to Congress. The last official day for public comments is July 21 -- a scant two weeks from now -- though it is likely that more will be read beyond that date. In parallel, the departments of Commerce and Agriculture will be accepting applications on their part of the stimulus package from July 14 to August 14. It’s a confusing and apparently inefficient scenario...

The broadband stimulus marches on

It’s been a busy few days in the broadband world. As many of you probably know, the Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for the broadband stimulus program was announced last week, outlining the rules for both the Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP) and the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP). The massive NOFA document is 120+ pages – clearly far too long to re-hash in a blog post – but I did want to talk about a couple of things that stood out to me.

The minimum requirements for speed will be 768kbps down and 200kbps up. These speed definitions may seem low to those of us based in well-served areas – when I first read them, I thought the same thing. However, it’s important to remember there are challenges to bringing high-speed connections to remote areas of the country. For them, 768kbps is a vast improvement over dial-up or no service. The rules also encourage higher speeds where possible, which I was pleased to see. I spoke to Brad Reed from Network World about this last week and he included a few more of my thoughts in an article...

New broadband report: End of scarcity, open architecture, and broadband competition | Speed Matters – Internet Speed Test

The latest report from two leading broadband research organizations -- the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation and the Silicon Flatirons Center -- summarizes a discussion among leading broadband experts on institutional strategies to advance broadband policy goals. The roundtable, which included Dick Lynch, Chief Technology Officer of Verizon, was moderated by Phil Weiser and Rob Atkinson.

The discussion converged on some important points. There was considerable agreement on the value of using targeted subsidies -- such as those in the broadband stimulus program -- to provide for ubiquitous broadband for a basic level of access, the need to ensure robust middle mile capability; and the potentially misleading nature of "peak" broadband speeds...

Broadband in Northern Ohio gets the national spotlight

OneCommunity is an organization located in Akron (and Cleveland!), Ohio, devoted to expanding the use of broadband to spur economic development in Northern Ohio. The organization operates the Knight Center of Digital Excellence, which helps communities across the country take advantage of digital technologies.

Last week, US Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke and FCC Chair Julius Genachowski visited OneCommunity’s backyard to highlight the work being done by groups like OneCommunity and how this work fits into the Obama administration’s plan for the federal stimulus funds..

PEW on home broadband adoption

A much better example of the PEW Project on Internet and the American Life, the June 2009 home adoption study, has lots of useful and ambiguous information. Broadband adoption continues to rise, despite higher prices. What does this tell us about the need for broadband stimulus?

Do we need it at all? If we do, what should be the focus of federal policy? Do we treat BB as we have communications infrastructure such as postal system and telephone? Or do we treat it like radio, TV and cable?

FCC broadband roadmap aims to bring order to stimulus chaos « Dewayne-Net Technology Weblog

1) July 21: deadline for public comments on the plan.

2) July 14 – November 7: As the FCC devises the plan, the Rural Utilities Service and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration are deciding where to award grants to expand broadband deployment, improve public computing centers and encourage sustainable broadband use growth...

U.S. broadband stimulus funding rules for "underserved" areas could produce controversy, delay

While designed to stimulate employment and do so quickly, the federal economic stimulus package enacted in February and specifically the $7.2 billion it allocated as a down payment on a badly needed upgrade of America's aged telecommunications infrastructure may not work as rapidly as intended. With unemployment persisting and exceeding that forecast by the Obama administration as it took office just before the enactment of the stimulus package, this could prove problematic.

The $7.2 billion allocation is targeted for build out of telecom infrastructure in those areas of the nation that are "unserved" and "underserved" when it comes to broadband access. Under the rules governing the award of grants and loans issued last week by the two federal agencies overseeing them, generally only deep rural America where dialup and satellite are the sole options for Internet connectivity will likely meet the definition of unserved. Proposed broadband projects to serve these areas are unlikely to generate much controversy...

First broadband stimulus comes big and fast

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The first chunk of U.S. government stimulus funds for broadband networks is bigger than expected, but companies have less time than they thought to apply for it.

Vendors have until August 14 to submit proposals for a total of about $4 billion in grants and loans described in a 121-page Notice of Funds Availability document posted late Thursday (July 2). "It was my weekend reading," said Paul Sinderbrand, an attorney tracking the process Wilkinson Barker Knauer, LLP (Washington D.C.), a telecom law firm...

FCC insider Levin calls for citizen participation - InternetNews.com

NEW YORK -- Introduced as a man without a title, Blair Levin, coordinator of the FCC's national broadband plan, asked attendees at the Personal Democracy Forum 2009 to participate in the process that will define the plan.

But first, he reminded the audience of his ties to the FCC. "I want to be one of the first to say this: I bring greetings from FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski," Levin said. "While many have been waiting for months for his confirmation, I've been waiting 15 years. I first met him in the spring of 1994..."

FCC gets to work on mapping out broadband plan - InternetNews.com

WASHINGTON -- With its work on the transition to digital television winding down, the Federal Communications Commission is moving ahead with its next great task: developing a forward-looking national broadband strategy.

At the first meeting under incoming Chairman Julius Genachowski, the commissioners heard updates on both issues this afternoon...

Broadband subsidy: too much money, but mostly well targeted - Network World

A few weeks ago I aired my worries about how the broadband funding in the Federal stimulus package was going to be spent. The government has now released documentation on that part of the package, and so far things look mostly OK.

The government has set up a Web site that is designed to let organizations, including states, apply for funding to support broadband deployment. And there is money to be had. The stimulus bill allocated $7.2 billion and directed the Departments of Agriculture and Commerce to hand it out. (Your tax dollars, or maybe your grandchild's tax dollars, at work...)

Catalogablog: Stimulus Funding

The American Library Association's website Know Your Stimulus includes new information on Broadband Funding. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has begun to populate its website with details regarding broadband stimulus programs...

NTIA/RUS stimulus applicatiion presentations

The Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and the Department of Agriculture's Rural Utilities Service (RUS) have announced the first series of public workshops about the application process for $4 billion in broadband grants and loans under the Recovery Act. NTIA and RUS gave extensive consideration to the workshop locations: they selected locations representative of rural and urban needs, as well as a diversity of regions, populations, topographies and city/metropolitan-area sizes. They also considered the travel needs of attendees...