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...