WiMax hunts for broadband bucks - Telecom News Analysis

Clearwire LLC (Nasdaq: CLWR) wants nearly $40 million in its "modest" bid for broadband-related Recovery Act money, while many other WiMax providers are asking for a mix of big and small grants and loans.

The Kirkland, Wash.-based operator's subsidiary, Clear Partner Holdings LLC, has applied for two grants under the Last Mile portion of the Broadband Technologies Initiative Program (BTOP). The operator wants $19.4 million to bring broadband to "underserved communities" within 112 square miles of Detroit, Mich. It has also asked for a $20.3 million grant to "help to remedy the problem of limited broadband adoption, availability and affordability by underserved consumers, public safety agencies and educational institutions" in the San Juan-Caguas area of Puerto Rico. (See Recovery Act: Clearwire Reveals Plans...)