It was only July, but it seems like eons ago that the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and the USDA’s Rural Utilities Service (RUS) issued a joint Notice of Funds Availability (NOFA) regarding the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP). We learned that roughly $2 billion would be available under the first NOFA to “support the deployment of broadband infrastructure in unserved and underserved areas, to enhance broadband capacity at public computer centers, and to encourage sustainable adoption of broadband service.” We also heard that this funding would undergird the objectives of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to stimulate economic growth and create jobs.
From that point, the race was on with organizations and ventures nationwide to complete their funding applications by the August deadline. Since that time, some 2,200 applicants across the nation have anxiously awaited award decisions. For some applicants the wait ended on December 17, as Vice President Joe Biden announced $182.7 million in BTOP awards that will be matched by $46 million in private capital. The Impulse Manufacturing facility in rural Dawsonville, Georgia served as the backdrop for the announcement. The technologically-advanced company, which specializes in metal fabrication, has reportedly felt stymied by a lack of true broadband.
Biden’s announcement encompassed 18 projects in 17 states, and the White House.gov Web site shows a full list of awards that were given for the following project categories:
Middle Mile Awards – $121.6 million to build and improve connections to communities lacking sufficient broadband access.
Last Mile Awards – $51.4 million to connect end users like homes, hospitals and schools to their community’s broadband infrastructure (the middle mile).
Public Computing – $7.3 million to expand computer center capacity for public use in libraries, community colleges and other public venues.
Sustainable Adoption – $2.4 million to fund innovative projects that promote broadband demand with population groups where the technology has traditionally been underutilized.
Alaska was among the initial states to receive BTOP funding for a project that will bring the first broadband services to southwestern native Alaskan communities. Other states benefitting from Biden’s announcement include: Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Washington. Over the next 75 days, there will additional BTOP award announcements. So…as they say, stay tuned.
Monday, December 21, 2009
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