Breaking News Alert
Applicants for BIP Infrastructure projects will have until 5 p.m. EDT, March 29th to file their applications to RUS
[2010/3/3]
NTIA and RUS will grant a limited extension of time to file infrastructure applications in the second funding round. Specifically, applicants for BTOP Comprehensive Community Infrastructure projects will have until 5 p.m. EDT, March 26th to file their applications to NTIA. Applicants for BIP Infrastructure projects will have until 5 p.m. EDT, March 29th to file their applications to RUS. Applications in NTIA's two other project categories - Public Computer Centers and Sustainable Broadband Adoption - remain due at 5 p.m. EDT, March 15th.
Please visit BroadbandUSA for more information from NTIA and RUS regarding the status of pending/announced Round 1 applications, Round 2 frequently asked questions, and program updates. The BroadbandUSA HelpDesk is also available to answer questions about BIP and BTOP at 1 (877) 508-8364 and BroadbandUSA@usda.gov.
Round 2 NOFAs Announced
[2010/1/15]
The NTIA and RUS announced two new sets of NOFA rules that govern the second and final round of the Broadband Stimulus initiatives.
Important dates: - January 15 – February 12 – ARRA Broadband Workshops: Attendees must choose to attend either BTOP or BIP information sessions.
- February 16 – March 15 – Agencies plan to accept applications.
- June – NTIA intends to announce BTOP Round 2 awards on a rolling basis.
- September 30 – All BTOP and BIP awards will be completed.
Louisiana Reaps $80 Million in Broadband Stimulus
[2010/3/8]
The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s (NTIA) Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP), has granted an $80 million broadband stimulus investment .....
NARUC Asks For Clarification on Broadband Grant Tax Status
[2010/3/8]
The nation's regulatory commissioners have asked the Treasury Department to clarify that the government's broadband stimulus grants are not taxable .....
National Broadband Plan has Two Major Provisions
[2010/3/8]
There are only two major areas where the Federal Communication Commission’s upcoming National Broadband Plan is likely to cause heated contention .....
The fastest broadband counties in the U.S.
[2010/3/8]
Late last week, data provider ID Insight published a list of what it called the “Top 25 Fastest Broadband Counties” – a list it claims is based on actual Internet access speeds .....
KeyOn's broadband stimulus apps rejected, stock tanks
[2010/3/8]
Rural wireless broadband operator KeyOn Communications announced that all 11 of its applications for broadband stimulus funds were rejected by the Department of Agriculture's Rural Utilities Service .....
The poor don't care about broadband? Of course they do
[2010/3/7]
By now most Ars readers have been saturated with statistical data about broadband adoption in the United States: who has access, who doesn't, .....
What's Going On with Broadband Stimulus Funding
[2010/3/7]
Announcements for the first round of broadband stimulus grants and loans have slipped a bit; while all the announcements were supposed to be made by March 1, they are now expected to be made by March 15 .....
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A Taxing Problem
March 9, 2010
By Paula Bernier
Sometimes overlooking a seemingly small matter can create big problems. So when some entities interested in the broadband stimulus effort recently became aware that a question has arisen as to whether smart-grid grant money is taxable, they moved to get a clarification on taxes as they relate to the broadband stimulus program.
In a March 4 letter to U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Timothy F. Geithner, Rob Thormeyer, director of communications for the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners wrote that getting clarification on the tax question “is a critically important issue with significant implications for jobs, economic recovery, and the rollout of broadband infrastructures.”
Thormeyer writes that grant applicants are concerned about this issue, and: “Unfortunately, even tax experts are unsure of the tax consequences of stimulus grants.”
The good news, however, is that, according to Thormeyer: “Nothing in ARRA indicates that the RUS/NTIA broadband (or smart grid) grants are taxable.”
Comments: To comment on this blog or on other issues related to the broadband stimulus or The National Broadband Plan, email Paula Bernier at paulabernier@mac.com.
Paula Bernier is executive editor for the IP Communications Group at TMC where she manages editorial content for the print versions of Internet Telephony Magazine, Next Generation Networks Magazine and Unified Communications Magazine. An 18-year communications industry reporting veteran, Bernier was formerly editor in chief of xchange magazine. She’s also worked as a senior writer for Inter@ctive Week. Bernier got her start in telecom at Telephony magazine, where she spent nearly five years, leaving as the news director. Bernier also has been on the reporting staffs of various mainstream daily and weekly newspapers in Iowa, Minnesota and South Carolina.
The contents of this blog represent solely the opinions of the author and are not the opinions of, or approved by, ADTRAN, Inc. |
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Broadband Stimulus: What is it?
The Broadband Stimulus program is the initiative defined by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 that was signed into law February 17, 2009. This law formed the basis for two federal government programs—the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) and Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP) administered by the NTIA and RUS, respectively. The BTOP and BIP program provides $4.7 billion to be distributed by NTIA and $2.5 billion to be administered by RUS.
Who qualifies? - A state or political division thereof
- Indian Tribe or Native Hawaiian Organization
- NonProfit
- Any other entity, including a Broadband Service or Infrastructure Provider, whose participation is found by NTIA to be in the "public interest"
Grant / Loan Application Tools
Interesting Highlights: - The two agencies have until Sept. 30, 2010 to "disperse" the funds
- Funded projects have 2 years to complete
- FCC required to develop the "comprehensive national broadband plan to provide universal coverage and encourage people to use the network"
Key Association Links and Resources:
Please send any comments or questions to:
Comments@adtran.com
or
Request a meeting with our Broadband Stimulus team via:
BroadbandStimulusMeetingRequest
@adtran.com
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