Anne Bubnic's List: ARRA/Broadband Technology

The library association is trying to convince the federal agencies in charge of doling out stimulus grants that libraries are the best way to extend high-speed service to the most people. The group released a survey Tuesday in which nearly 60 percent of libraries said their Internet connections couldn't meet bandwidth demands at peak hours. At the same time, 70 percent said they are the only source of free Internet access in their communities.

Shovel-ready projects - or not?

The majority of this fund is for competitive grants which can only be awarded directly to a State if the State applies as an eligible entity and meets the eligibility requirements. The Program requires at least one grant be awarded in each state.

The U.S. Congress has appropriated $4.7 billion to establish a Broadband Technology Opportunities Program for awards to eligible entities to develop and expand broadband services to unserved and underserved areas and improve access to broadband by public safety agencies. Of these funds, $250 million will be available for innovative programs that encourage sustainable adoption of broadband services; at least $200 million will be available to upgrade technology and capacity at public computing centers, including community colleges and public libraries; $10 million will be a transfer to the Office of Inspector General for the purposes of BTOP audits and oversight. Up to $350 million of the BTOP funding is designated for the development and maintenance of statewide broadband inventory maps.

The $787 billion federal stimulus package includes $7.2 billion to help bring broadband Internet to more of America.

NTIA will have a total of $4,549,000,000 to award to grant recipients that will be available until September 30, 2010. Of the amount provided, NTIA will use about $3,749,000,000 for infrastructure-related grants; not less than $200,000,000 for competitive grants for expanding public computer center capacity; not less than $250,000,000 for competitive grants for innovative programs to encourage sustainable adoption of broadband services; and up to $350,000,000 to develop and maintain a broadband inventory map

While the majority of schools have basic Internet access, it’s often limited, slow and not capable of handling the technology applications our administrators and educators need to ensure our students are prepared for the 21st century workplace and life. As we continue to expand use of digital learning environments to deliver personal and adaptive experiences for our students, the need to ensure rich connectivity in and out of the classroom becomes paramount.

This funding will be distributed via grants, loans and loan guarantees for broadband infrastructure. At least 75% of areas to be served with these funds must be in a rural area without sufficient access to high speed broadband. \n

In a report released Tuesday, ABI says the government will spend $6.8 billion for "wireless communications upgrades and new deployments" over the next two years, thus providing "a significant one-off opportunity for wireless equipment vendors."

We're supposed to have an economic "stimulus" plan to both stave off further economic decline and invest in key 21st century assets such as broadband and electronic medical records. In the 90-plus days since its approval, it is disarming how little of the stimulus money has been invested and how far the funding allocation dates have been pushed back.

In the case of broadband networks, the original stated goal was to have as much as half the stimulus funds committed or spent by Sept. 30. Now the federal government's Web site, www.recovery.gov, lists the first award date as Dec. 31.

More than $7 billion available to bring broadband access to underserved areas

This Broadband Stimulus Webinar is sponsored by Aperto, Wireless Connections and Edgenics. It is being hosted by the E Broadband Services Alliances (EBSALL), a non-for-profit alliance founded by the three companies to provide broadband services to under-served and un-served markets. This Webinar will provide valuable insights concerning: (1) opportunities for funding broadband initiatives under provisions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA); (2) WiMAX wireless technologies used to implement broadband networks with insights on the design, engineering, and planning of broadband networks; and (3) best practices for securing broadband funding.

The FCC wants to push broadband Internet access further into the rural reaches of the U.S., but to do that it'll have to define what level of data speed should be given the term "broadband." Top ISPs have provided their suggestions; most involve setting a fairly low bar for what may officially be called "broadband" speed.

The digital divide is large and shows no signs of decreasing. It compounds the racial disparities found in education and household earnings and impacts heavily on standard of living. The broadband initiatives contained in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) could help to bridge that gap by making the internet more accessible to all Americans.

North Carolina Gov. Bev Perdue today announced that MCNC has applied to receive $28.1 million in broadband recovery
funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) to support fiber acquisition for the North Carolina Research and Education Network (NCREN) in North Carolina.

Governor Edward G. Rendell today said the commonwealth has applied for $108 million in federal funds to expand high-speed Internet service to people, institutions and communities throughout Pennsylvania -- an investment that will boost the state's economic development and education systems for years to come.