The Podium
Blog posts tagged with 'Broadband Grants'
Monday, February 22
By Bruce
Geoff Daily of App Rising, who has been keeping a watchful eye on how and when federal broadband grants are doled out, has handed out grades for the first year of the effort. The overall grade: D+.
Despite the bad grade, however, Daily is still hopeful:
Just because the stimulus is failing now on almost all fronts doesn’t mean that it can’t recover and post solid even spectacular marks. Ultimately the grade that matters most is that the best projects are funded and on that they’re not failing. They’re also learning from at least some of their mistakes. So I for one am still hopeful that the broadband stimulus will be more than just another government folly.
Friday, February 19
By Brad
Yesterday, the NTIA announced 10 new projects have received broadband grants. All told, $357 million in grants were promised to projects in eight states: California, Florida, Indiana, New York, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.
(Via Multichannel News.)
Monday, February 01
By Brad
Via Government Tech, last week the NTIA sent out 1,400 rejection letters to broadband grant hopefuls. Those who have been rejected are being encouraged to closely study the grant proposals that have been approved so far before re-applying.
Thursday, January 21
By Bruce
Yesterday, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration announced the latest batch of broadband grants. In all, $63 million in grants were awarded to three states: Massachusetts, Michigan, and North Carolina.
So far NTIA has awarded $253 million in grants, roughly 3.5 percent of the eventual total.
Tuesday, January 19
By Brad
As the NTIA and RUS continue to sift through a mountain of broadband grant applications, they’re seeking to simplify the rules for applying in the future. Reports Wireless Week:
According to a statement by RUS Administrator Jonathan Adelstein, the application process has been streamlined to “make the process easier for applicants and target our resources toward ‘last-mile’ broadband connections to homes and businesses.” Both the NTIA and RUS received widespread complaints about the application process after the first round of funding when businesses became frustrated with a lack of transparency and the complexity and length of the application.
Thursday, December 17
By Bruce
Vice President Biden is in Georgia today, where he’s expected to announce that $182 million in broadband grants from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will be awarded to 18 projects.
While this is a great step toward the goal of nationwide broadband access, much more needs to be done — and soon. As GigaOm points out, this latest batch of grants will mean only 3% of the broadband stimulus has been allocated, with less than a year to go until the process is scheduled to be completed.
Friday, December 04
By Bruce
So far, the national broadband plan has faced its share of hurdles. But as Broadband Breakfast reports, the Obama administration is promising the money will start flowing soon:
Despite government delays in announcing the grant awards for the $7.2 billion in broadband stimulus money Congress allocated in January, Vice President Joe Biden Thursday said that within the next month billions will be given to broadband and high-speed rail investments.
“And by design, the items in the act which have the biggest impact are yet to come. Within the next two weeks to a month, another roughly $13 billion is going to be announced rolling out in terms of both investments in broadband and high-speed rail, and competitive education and infrastructure,” said Biden in remarks he gave at the opening session of the White House Jobs and Economic Growth Forum.
Tuesday, November 24
By Bruce
The flood of applications for federal broadband grants continues to be a problem for the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, which has announced that the next round of grants now won’t be issued until December, and the actual funding of grants won’t start until next February.
Wednesday, November 11
By Bruce
Up until now, the broadband grant process has been slower than anticipated. But with the unemployment rate now over 10%, the Wall Street Journal reports that the Obama administration wants to speed the process up:
Officials at the Commerce and Agriculture Departments outlined plans to consolidate into a single round a grant process originally projected to go for two more rounds. The first round of grants is scheduled to be made in December. The departments asked for comments on how the program could be changed to make it easier for companies to apply.
“This will get the funds out the door faster to stimulate the economy and create jobs,” said Jonathan Adelstein, the Agriculture Department official overseeing the program in a statement. The Agriculture Department oversees a program to build broadband lines in rural areas and will distribute loans as part of the stimulus program.
In other national broadband plan news, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has announced the next round of broadband mapping grants. This time, seven states were on the list: Alabama, Washington, Wyoming, Idaho, Maryland, Massachusetts, and Wisconsin.
Wednesday, October 28
By Bruce
Via Broadcasting & Cable, the National Telecommunications & Information Administration (NTIA) and Rural Utilities Services (RUS) — the two agencies in charge of distributing grants for broadband expansion — have decided to delay announcing the winning bidders by at least a month.
Thursday, August 27
By Bruce
With the (twice extended) deadline for the initial round of federal broadband grants having come and gone, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration has released some numbers. From the NTIA release:
• More than 260 applications were filed solely with NTIA’s Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP), requesting over $5.4 billion in grants to fund broadband infrastructure projects in unserved and underserved areas.
• More than 400 applications were filed solely with RUS’s Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP), requesting nearly $5 billion in grants and loans for broadband infrastructure projects in rural areas.
• More than 830 applications were filed with both NTIA’s BTOP and RUS’s BIP, requesting nearly $12.8 billion in infrastructure funding. (Applicants for infrastructure projects in rural areas must apply to BIP but were given the opportunity to jointly apply to BTOP in case RUS declines to fund their application.)
• More than 320 applications were filed with NTIA requesting nearly $2.5 billion in grants from BTOP for projects that promote sustainable demand for broadband services, including projects to provide broadband education, awareness, training, access, equipment or support, particularly among vulnerable population groups where broadband technology has traditionally been underutilized. (The Recovery Act directs NTIA to make at least $250 million available for programs that encourage sustainable adoption of broadband services, of which up to $150 million is allocated in this first round of grants.)
• More than 360 applications were filed with NTIA requesting more than $1.9 billion in grants from BTOP for public computer center projects, which will expand access to broadband service and enhance broadband capacity at public libraries, community colleges, and other institutions that provide the benefits of broadband to the general public or specific vulnerable populations. (The Recovery Act directs NTIA to make at least $200 million available for expanding public computer center capacity, of which up to $50 million is allocated in this first round of grants.)
All told, over 2,000 applications for grants were submitted. As for what companies and groups applied, the site Unstrung has started compiling a handy list.
Friday, August 21
By Brad
After already granting an extension for filing for the initial round of broadband grants, the National Telecommunications & Information Administration has found it still needs a bit more time to keep up with all the overwhelming number of applications flying their way. Reports Multichannel News:
The agency said that while bids are still due Aug. 20, to insure applications are complete and to “minimize problems,” it will accept supporting documents in the mail up to a postmark, hand delivery, or “appropriate electronic delivery” date of Aug. 24.
Bidders who made it past the first round of cuts are scheduled be revealed on September 14.
Thursday, July 09
By Brad
As proposals for the initial portion of federal broadband stimulus begin pouring in, the NTIA has announced they’re looking for an army of experienced volunteers to help sift through them.
Those interested can email their resume to NTIA at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
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