Making money in the middle mile

Connected Planet

The RUS’ Broadband Initiatives Program and the NTIA’s Broadband Technology Opportunities Program have awarded 47 middle-mile projects totaling $1.3 billion to date. These awards are intended for the extension of the information superhighway to underserved or unserved parts of the country, mainly in small towns and rural areas.

The term "middle mile" is relatively new to the telecom lexicon. We already know middle mile as the interexchange or interoffice network or, in some cases, the backhaul network. It’s all the same.

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Government awards $795 million in broadband stimulus' second round

With a focus on filling the so-called "middle mile" broadband gaps in rural communities, the Obama administration announced they have awarded $795 million in grants and loans in the second broadband stimulus funding round.

Included in the initial list is second-time winner Zayo Bandwidth. After initially winning a $25 million grant to connect 21 Ivy Tech Community College campuses to the I-Light network in Indiana, Zayo's latest $13.4 million grant will be used to build out about 300 miles of new fiber network in Minnesota.

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