May 2009
Was broadband stimulus really delayed? Perception may be reality
[2009/05/29]
A recent report from the National Telecommunications Information Administration (NTIA), which triggered speculation that the federal broadband stimulus program has been delayed ....
Federal money to help spread broadband
[2009/05/28]
Some $30 million to $70 million in federal stimulus money should help the state move closer to its goal of having cellular phone and broadband Internet access everywhere within its borders by the end of next year. That's according to Vermont officials monitoring ....
The FCC's New Deal for rural Internet
[2009/05/28]
The first thing that stands out as you peruse the Federal Communications Commission's latest report on rural broadband is that it reads like it was actually written by somebody. "As long as a grade-school child living on a farm cannot research a science project, ....
Favorable signals for Vermont broadband
[2009/05/27]
Vermont could see between $30 million to $70 million in federal stimulus dollars boost its ambitious plan for universal high-speed Internet ....
FCC develops strategy for rural broadband
[2009/05/27]
Acting FCC Chairman Michael Copps released a report on broadband strategy for rural America on Wednesday. The report was mandated as part of the 2008 Farm Bill. In that bill Congress asked the Federal Communications Commission to work with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to submit "a report describing ....
Rural America Has Broadband — or Not — Says FCC
[2009/05/27]
With $7.2 billion in stimulus money at stake, much has been made of how little broadband Internet service is available in rural America. But a new report from the government agency in charge of devising a national Internet strategy ....
FCC Report: Net Neutrality Important to Rural Residents
[2009/05/27]
The U.S. must preserve an open Internet in order to bring the full benefit of broadband to rural areas of the U.S., a Federal Communications Commission report on rural broadband said. Without net neutrality protections ....
FCC adds rural report to broadband debate
[2009/05/27]
Following through on a provision made in a federal farm bill passed by Congress last year, the Federal Communications Commission has released a study called "Bringing ....
FCC Releases Report on Rural Broadband Strategy
[2009/05/27]
Rural broadband deployment has many possible hurdles to clear, the Federal Communications Commission said on Wednesday in “Bringing Broadband to Rural America,” a report on a rural broadband ....
FCC releases rural broadband report
[2009/05/27]
The Federal Communications Commission has released its long-awaited report on the state of rural broadband deployment, calling for greater coordination among government agencies, better data and ....
Updates Made to the BroadbandCensus.com List of NTIA Comments
[2009/05/25]
The BroadbandCensus.com List of NTIA Comments has been updated to include summaries of additional comments filed with the Commerce Department’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration ....
NTIA delays stimulus award money
[2009/05/25]
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration, which is responsible for doling out some $4.7-billion of the $7.2 billion in total broadband stimulus money ....
Colorado wants stimulus money for broadband
[2009/05/24]
Details of how $7.2 billion in federal stimulus money will be awarded to extend high-speed Internet around the country are still being decided ....
Article: Measuring the Effectiveness of the Broadband Stimulus Plan
[2009/05/23]
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 charges government agencies not only with choosing grant recipients and setting performance bench marks, but also with measuring their results ....
Planning to Plan
[2009/05/22]
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) served up a report today to outlining how it will help the U.S. develop a rural broadband strategy for areas deemed underserved and unserved. For all the nitty-gritty detail, you can check out ....
Broadband Stimulus Fund Timetable
[2009/05/22]
The Recovery.gov website indicates that Uncle Sam has moved the timeline for broadband stimulus funds forward somewhat, though the first set of grants will be doled out early during the fourth quarter ....
NTIA stimulus award schedule delayed
[2009/05/22]
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration, which will be responsible for awarding about $4.7 billion worth of the $7.2 billion in broadband stimulus funds has delayed its submission ....
U.S. Government Delays Broadband Grants
[2009/05/21]
One of the federal agencies responsible for administering $4.7 billion in broadband stimulus grants has quietly delayed its plans to approve and distribute money ....
How ‘Buy American’ Could Ruin Broadband Stimulus Plans
[2009/05/15]
Should the government require broadband buildouts funded by economic stimulus grants to use only goods produced in the United States? ....
Parts of Mid-State Without High Speed Internet
[2009/05/15]
Connected Tennessee could be getting some help from federal stimulus money to bring broadband to Tennessee's smaller counties ....
States eager for broadband stimulus funds
[2009/05/15]
In what could arguably be called an infrastructure initiative, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act includes some $7.2 billion aimed at improving the nation’s broadband access ....
California's lessons can be model for national broadband stimulus
[2009/05/15]
States looking for answers to many questions on how to implement the broadband stimulus program should look to California, said a group of experts Monday during a panel at the Tech Policy Summit on the “state of the state.” ....
Palo Alto urged to apply for broadband stimulus
[2009/05/13]
Palo Alto, Calif., continues to look for options to fulfill its desire to establish a municipal broadband network, and U.S Rep. Anna Eshoo (D.-Palo Alto) this week suggested that the city apply for broadband stimulus funds ....
TPS Notebook: Lawmakers, Tech Pioneers Discuss Broadband’s Economic Value
[2009/05/12]
24 hours into the third annual Tech Policy Summit in San Mateo, two members of Calfornia’s House delegation and a founding father of the PC age sounded off with different views on the best implementation ....
Cover Story: The $7.2 Billion Question - Lawmakers Puzzle Over Who Is 'Unserved' As They Dole Out Broadband Stimulus Funds
[2009/05/11]
The much-ballyhooed broadband stimulus program, known officially as the Broadband Technologies Opportunities Program, is, at $7.2 billion, one of the largest federal funding initiatives ever to hit the cable industry ....
Lots of Questions, No Easy Answers on Stimulus Funds at Tech Policy “Town Hall”
[2009/05/11]
Familiar faces gathered and familiar arguments rang out Monday at the San Mateo Marriott as the 2009 Tech Policy Summit kicked off with a Broadband Innovation mini-conference, with an opening “town hall” on the “state of the stimulus,” ....
Broadband Data Collection Must Be Thorough and Transparent, Say Experts
[2009/05/10]
Broadband data collection needs to be more thorough and more transparent than currently existing models, a range of academic experts, builders of telecommunications infrastructure ....
National Broadband Policy needs concrete goals to succeed
[2009/05/4]
On April 8, 2009 the FCC issued its Notice of Inquiry (NOI), "A National Broadband Plan for Our Future", seeking input to inform the development of a national broadband plan. The focus of the plan is to enable the build-out and utilization of high-speed broadband infrastructure with the goal of enabling every American citizen ....
White House officials play key role in shaping broadband stimulus program
[2009/05/3]
The White House is playing a critical behind-the-scenes role in shaping a $7.2 billion loan-and-grant program aimed at spurring wider broadband Internet access, despite a congressional ....
June 2009
Commerce waives broadband 'Buy American' provision
[2009/06/30]
The Secretary of Commerce on June 19 granted a limited waiver of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act's "Buy American" provision to most of the broadband equipment that would likely be purchased under the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) ....
Broadband Stimulus Exempted From 'buy American'
[2009/06/29]
The U.S. government has exempted broadband builders who want federal grants from a "buy American" provision of the US$787 billion stimulus package passed in February ....
Key Waivers Granted for Broadband Stimulus 'Buy American' Rules
[2009/06/29]
Many types of broadband equipment now are covered by a waiver of ‘Buy American’ rules associated with the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 "broadband stimulus" program operated by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration ....
Area seeks millions in stimulus money for broadband plan
[2009/06/26]
A group of government and business leaders from Alachua and Marion counties came together Thursday with an ambitious goal: Put together a proposal to increase development of broadband capabilities into rural areas ....
Despite economy, broadband use rises in state
[2009/06/25]
A slumping economy didn't stop an increasing number of Californians from accessing the Internet in their homes using broadband, but the digital divide along ethnic and income lines persists, according to a recent study ....
Private Sector: Broadband stimulus is job stimulus, too
[2009/06/23]
Stanford University economist Paul Romer's observation that "a crisis is a terrible thing to waste" could be a rallying cry for past and present efforts to revive the economy and create jobs ....
Rubber Meets Road for Broadband Conduit Bill
[2009/06/19]
The $7.2 billion set aside by the government for the broadband stimulus package isn’t the only bucket of money for telecom to tap into. Case in point is the “Broadband Conduit Deployment Act of 2009” introduced to the Senate this week ....
Broadband Stimulus Program Moving Fast but Looking Forward, says NTIA’s Seifert
[2009/06/19]
The Broadband Technology Opportunities Program is a “jump start” for President Obama’s broadband vision for communities to use information technology to expand and enrich their infrastructure to help revive a slowing economy ....
Survey: Elderly, poor narrow broadband service gap
[2009/06/18]
Some groups that have lagged in signing up for high-speed Internet service, like the elderly, the poor and rural residents, have started to gain on those who have had a head start, according to a new survey ....
Will 'Buy American' Provisions Trip Up Broadband Stimulus?
[2009/06/16]
Cisco Systems and Alcatel-Lucent want broadband stimulus “Buy American” provisions waived. That troublesome provision is typical of the many "little" details that will have to be ironed out before final rules are announced in June ....
What's the Public CIO's Role With Broadband Stimulus?
[2009/06/12]
Last week I tackled the role of the public CIO in the broadband stimulus grant program ....
Broadband stimulus and vendor financing
[2009/06/10]
Debt markets may be thawing for telecom service providers. (Just this week, for example, Equinix and Terremark raised $325 million and $400 million, respectively ....
Rural Americans long to be linked
[2009/06/10]
The people who live here are still waiting for the digital revolution to arrive. The local phone company, Windstream, offers high-speed DSL service in part of Plains (population: around 1,450). But those who live outside the city limits, including farmers such as Jeff Roper, don't ....
Report: Broadband Adoption Efforts Must Eliminate "Access Barrier"
[2009/06/08]
Broadband adoption efforts need more money and more data. That appeared to be the bottom line of a report released Monday and drawn from a February summit on how broadband policy can best "advance the interests and needs of communities and color," with a focus on ....
Broadband Speeds, Issues, Stimulus and Prospects
[2009/06/08]
Lack of competition is the reason why broadband speeds in the United States are not faster and at lower price. Other cable operators are concerned that not only will prices fall, but that the super-fast service will encourage ....
Minority groups coalesce to focus on broadband
[2009/06/03]
New Broadband Opportunity Coalition brings multiple groups together to push broadband adoption by minorities, disadvantaged and poverty-stricken. A coalition of national civil organizations today announced a plan to promote broadband adoption and ...
Connected Nation's stimulus role questioned
[2009/06/03]
Connected Nation, the Connect Kentucky off-shoot that potentially could be a provider of broadband mapping information for the government agencies awarding broadband stimulus money, is under fire once again ....
Shovel-ready Broadband Stimulus
[2009/06/03]
The White House and Congress now plan to spend tens of billions of dollars on a revamp of the nation’s infrastructure, including bridges, roads and highways ....
Utility Leaders Want Larger States Role in Broadband Stimulus Funds
[2009/06/02]
The National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners wants the federal agencies overseeing broadband stimulus funds to consult with states before disbursing the money to avoid project delays ....