The remaining stimulus rounds have been consolidated, but your options for funding have not | Going Wimax

The broadband stimulus funding saga continues, with an interesting plot twist introduced last week. On November 10, the USDA’s Rural Utilities Service (RUS) and the Commerce Department’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announced that they were “streamlining” the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act’s broadband grant and loan programs by awarding the remaining funding in just one more round, instead of two rounds.

The RUS and NTIA claim that the goal of this consolidation is to “increase efficiency and better accommodate applicants”, thus helping them to disseminate the stimulus funds sooner and with better results. While any effort to help get the stimulus funds into the hands of WISPs and other service providers that will help deliver broadband to under-served areas sooner should be applauded, many fear that this consolidation will hurt their chances of securing funding. This fear is based on the prospect that a consolidated final round of funding will mean a) less time to prepare their applications, and b) more competition due to the perception that this is the final opportunity for broadband funding...