February 2010
$1.3 Billion in Broadband Funds Issued in 'Core Categories' of Federal Program[2010/2/26]
According to industry reports, the two federal agencies managing the $7.2 billion broadband stimulus program have issued a total of $1.265 billion in 65 separate awards .....
Stimulus Funding Round 2 – What Can We Expect?
[2010/2/26]
After the first round of broadband stimulus funding led to disappointment and discontent, it appears that the National Telecommunications Information Administration (NTIA) is eager to properly and efficiently allocate money in the second round .....
What Will 'Broadband Stimulus' Actually Do?
[2010/2/25]
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, despite some grumbling, will be very helpful to some providers of last-mile broadband access services in rural areas .....
Public safety seeing little direct benefit from stimulus awards
[2010/2/24]
As expected, government groups or non-profit consortiums that bring private companies and government entities together are the big winners of broadband stimulus awards so far .....
Broadband stimulus fund applicants sharpen their proposals for the second round
[2010/2/23]
Federal dollars are finally trickling into broadband stimulus projects, and a few trends are emerging that will serve as the blueprint for the second round of funding .....
FCC to Reveal National Broadband Plan in March
[2010/2/23]
The wait will soon be over for those interested in hearing the Federal Communications Commission’s plans to connect more than 90 million people with high-speed Internet access .....
The Charge of the Broadband Stimulus Brigade
[2010/2/22]
If we were to distill to a simple phrase the source of many of the challenges (translation: pain, grief and aggravation) endured by those going through the first round of broadband stimulus, it would be “What if we threw a party and everybody came?” .....
NTIA, RUS issue more awards; First round awards process collides with second round
[2010/2/21]
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and the Department of Agriculture's Rural Utilities Service (RUS) program issued more broadband funding grants and loans in the first round of broadband stimulus awards, but frustration is mounting .....
Lawmakers release guidelines for second round of broadband stimulus cash
[2010/2/19]
Democrats chiefly in charge of monitoring broadband stimulus dollars released guidelines on Friday for the second round of federal grants .....
NTIA awards 10 more broadband funding grants
[2010/2/19]
Another 10 broadband funding grants have been doled out by the Commerce Department's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to fund broadband projects in eight states .....
Most of Broadband Stimulus Funds Went to Vendors in First Grant Round
[2010/2/19]
Before the federal government announced the winners of broadband stimulus awards in December 2009, conventional wisdom suggested government-run projects would capture most of the money .....
Middle mile providers: Complementary, not competitive
[2010/2/18]
It was interesting to see news break last week that Qwest is considering, and I underline considering applying for broadband stimulus grant funding .....
PA gets $130m in broadband funds
[2010/2/18]
Pennsylvania won $130 million in broadband stimulus funding today, covering two projects that together will lay a network of more than 2,000 miles of fiber optic lines across the state .....
Round One Broadband Stimulus Allocated Mostly for Fixed Line, Not Wireless Project
[2010/2/17]
Consulting firm CSMG and professional services firm TMNG have released summary data from the first round of broadband stimulus funding revealing administrators’ preference for landline-based projects over wireless ones .....
FCC Chairman Previews National Broadband Plan
[2010/2/17]
The National Broadband Plan to be released in March will set a high bar for broadband coverage: 100 million households at 100 megabits per second (Mbps) .....
State to receive broadband stimulus funding
[2010/2/17]
U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke is expected to announce a today that West Virginia will receive economic stimulus money to expand high-speed Internet broadband across the state .....
The Broadband Stimulus, Part Two
[2010/2/17]
The clock began ticking this week on the second of two application periods for broadband stimulus funding .....
Second Broadband Stimulus Funding Window Opens
[2010/2/16]
The second and final funding window for broadband stimulus applications opened Tuesday, Feb. 16. Applicants have until March 15 .....
Landline-based projects favored in stimulus awards, researchers contend
[2010/2/16]
As applications for funding in Round 2 of the broadband stimulus program begin to hit government agencies tomorrow, only about 15% of the funds allotted for Round 1 have been awarded .....
U.S. broadband adoption sees significant spike
[2010/2/16]
Broadband usage has increased significantly over the past two years, as 63.5% of U.S. households reported having broadband connections in 2009 .....
Officials: Federal Broadband Stimulus Program Will Have Significant Impact
[2010/2/15]
California state officials and experts from the broadband industry expressed high hopes that the federal broadband stimulus program would have a significant impact on broadband availability and the industry .....
Broadband stimulus provides windfall for rural New York
[2010/2/12]
While several broadband build outs have received tens of millions of dollars from the federal government, the largest so far is a project that will deploy high-speed broadband all throughout New York State .....
Federal broadband stimulus dollars largely unallocated, Philly included
[2010/2/12]
Philadelphia is not alone in waiting for the dispersal of $7.2 billion in federal broadband stimulus dollars, much of which remains unallocated .....
Federal Broadband Stimulus Program Bolsters CA's Broadband Industry
[2010/2/11]
At an open meeting hosted last week by high-capacity fiber-optic equipment provider Infinera .....
ADC gears up distributors for stimulus awards
[2010/2/11]
At least one manufacturer of telecom equipment that is likely to be used in broadband stimulus projects is gearing up its supply channels .....
Inside the Broadband Stimulus Workshops
[2010/2/11]
With the final funding window for broadband stimulus applicants opening on Feb. 16, .....
Partner with Care for Broadband Projects
[2010/2/10]
There's a new set of rules in place for Round 2 of the competition for federal broadband money .....
100 Broadband Stimulus Applications Still in Play for California
[2010/2/10]
Roughly 100 broadband stimulus applications connected to California are still in play for the first of the federal government's two funding windows .....
Fiber optics, not magic beans: rural Idaho hopes for broadband stimulus
[2010/2/10]
Bruce Patterson is the one-man IT department for Ammon, a small town of 13,000 near Idaho Falls. He is fed up with companies overlooking the town when they discover the cost of Internet .....
Virginia puts schools on high-fiber diet with broadband funds
[2010/2/10]
A very strong augur of how the government's $7.2 billion in broadband stimulus money will be spent .....
Stimulus funds for high-speed Internet access tangled up
[2010/2/9]
The Obama administration knew that there'd be a lot of interest in the $7.2 billion for high-speed Internet projects it included in last year's huge economic stimulus package .....
U.S. gives $21 m. in broadband grants to connect schools in southern Virginia
[2010/2/8]
The Obama administration announced $21 million in stimulus grants to bring hundreds of miles of fiber-optic Internet lines to rural southern Virginia .....
Mass. city becomes testing ground for boosting broadband adoption
[2010/2/8]
Increasing broadband adoption isn't just about building out networks in under-served areas -- it's also about showing people who don't use broadband what they're missing .....
Qwest reconsiders broadband stimulus
[2010/2/8]
A change in rules over how the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) and National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) will dole out the second round of broadband stimulus funding is driving Denver-based RBOC Qwest .....
Big Carriers May Apply For Second Round Stimulus Funds
[2010/2/5]
As the broadband stimulus bill was being hashed out, you'll recall it was stripped of some very lucrative, carrier-lobbied-for tax credits that would have given companies like Verizon billions .....
ACA claims broadband stimulus unfairly favors telcos
[2010/2/4]
It appears that the overseers (the RUS and NTIA) of the broadband stimulus act have something against cable companies .....
Ralls County Electric finds its FTTH pulse
[2010/2/1]
With its $19 million of broadband stimulus money in hand, Missouri-based Ralls County Electric Cooperative and partner Pulse broadband are getting down to the business of building an open access Fiber to the Home (FTTH) network .....
January 2010
Wireless Broadband Challenges Include Rolling Up WISPS and Obtaining Stimulus Funding
[2010/1/31]
Two of the biggest challenges facing the expansion of wireless broadband in this country include the disparate number of rural and remote wireless carriers, and how to ensure that stimulus funding goes to wireless carriers .....
Broadband Stimulus: RUS Distributes $310M
[2010/1/30]
The Rural Utilities Service (RUS) this week started handing out about $310 million in broadband stimulus money, the largest funding round so far .....
Alaska Company Wins $25.3 Million Broadband Stimulus Grant
[2010/1/29]
Broadband stimulus projects focused on delivering high-speed Internet services directly to citizens represent one of four categories for which grants are being awarded .....
Taking the Pulse of a Broadband Stimulus Winner
[2010/1/29]
A group of cable TV veterans, who believe they’ve found a way to cost-effectively use fiber-to-the-home in rural areas, has teamed up with a rural electric cooperative in Northeast Missouri to win $19 million in broadband stimulus funding .....
1,400 Rejection Letters Sent to Broadband Stimulus Applicants
[2010/1/29]
Disappointing news reached 1,400 broadband stimulus grant applicants who got rejection letters this week from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) .....
Rural Areas Win More Than $309 Million in Broadband Stimulus Grants
[2010/1/28]
Leaders of a Senate Appropriations subcommittee Thursday pressed Commerce Department officials on why funding provided by the economic stimulus package for broadband deployment and adoption is taking so long to reach communities .....
Pace Of Broadband Funding Questioned
[2010/1/28]
Broadband Stimulus grants and loans equaling more than $309 million were recently awarded for private-sector networks in rural areas .....
Feds reject millions in stimulus money for NH
[2010/1/27]
Federal agencies have rejected University of New Hampshire's $46 million broadband build out application as well as two of three FairPoint Communications Inc. applications for broadband Stimulus funds to benefit New Hampshire .....
Local telephone company receives stimulus for upgrades
[2010/1/27]
The Northeast Louisiana Telephone Co. has received $12.4 million from the federal stimulus package to improve broadband access in rural Morehouse Parish .....
Stimulus funds to bring broadband to western Kansas
[2010/1/26]
Lenora-based Rural Telephone Service Co. will receive a grant and loan package worth nearly $100 million from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to expand broadband in northwest Kansas .....
Rural Utilities Service Unveils $310 Million in Stimulus Funds for 14 Projects
[2010/1/26]
The Agriculture Department’s Rural Utilities Service is doling out $310 million in broadband stimulus funds, department Secretary Tom Vilsack announced Monday .....
RUS gets into high gear on awarding stimulus funds
[2010/1/26]
Rural Utilities Service Administrator Jonathan Adelstein chose the winter convention of the Organization for the Promotion and Advance of Small Telecommunications Companies (OPASTCO) in San Diego this week to announce 14 additional recipients of broadband stimulus funding .....
ESRI debuts Internet mapping tool in D.C.
[2010/1/26]
ESRI debuted a tool that maps Internet coverage at an exhibition and conference in Washington, D.C., today and Tuesday .....
Local leaders call for broadband projects, not studies
[2010/1/25]
The state’s recent award of $2.25 million in federal stimulus funds to expand broadband mapping inventory is wasted money .....
Dumbing down the broadband stimulus process
[2010/1/25]
According to the blog StimulatingBroadband.com, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) is in the process of mailing an estimated 1,400 rejection letters .....
USDA awarding $310 million for broadband projects
[2010/1/25]
The Agriculture Department is handing out nearly $310 million in stimulus money to bring high-speed Internet connections to 14 rural communities .....
MCNC enters the broadband stimulus winner's circle
[2010/1/22]
Microelectronics Center of North Carolina's (MCNC) desire to build out an enhanced middle-mile network came one step closer to reality this week as it received word that it was awarded a $28.2 million broadband stimulus grant .....
Four broadband stimulus grants awarded
[2010/1/22]
Four broadband stimulus applicants were awarded grants this week, including two infrastructure grants to extend a pair of state-wide fiber optic networks .....
What you need to know about NOFA 2 rules
[2010/1/22]
Notice of Funds Available (NOFA) 2 has been released and I'm sure there has been a run on Tums .....
Renewed Hopes With Round Two Of Broadband Stimulus Funding
[2010/1/22]
Those applying for federal funds in the next round of the Commerce Department’s broadband stimulus plan are keeping their fingers crossed .....
Still waiting for stimulus spend impact…
[2010/1/21]
Adtran has been one of the more vocal critics — or at least “reality-checkers” — about the (lack of) impact of the broadband stimulus award process .....
Big Broadband Stimulus Grants for Middle-Mile Networks in N.C. and Michigan
[2010/1/20]
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration on Wednesday continued its rolling award of broadband stimulus grants .....
Broadband Helps Create Jobs, Not Higher Wages
[2010/1/18]
Increased access to high-speed Internet connections helps create jobs, though it doesn't always result in higher wages, according to a new research report from the Public Policy Institute of California .....
Found: Missing Broadband Stimulus Funds!
[2010/1/15]
The two federal agencies responsible for allocating the $7.2 billion in broadband stimulus dollars today released information about the next — and final — round of funding .....
State makes moves after NTIA awards $2.2 million for broadband maps, plans
[2010/1/15]
Rendell was quite prepared for $2.2 million in federal broadband research and planning funds that we reported Thursday .....
Broadband Helps Create Jobs, Not Higher Wages
[2010/1/15]
Increased access to high-speed Internet connections helps create jobs, though it doesn't always result in higher wages .....
Nelson: $2.1 million in broadband stimulus funds extend 21st century communications across Nebraska
[2010/1/13]
Today, Nebraska's Senator Ben Nelson welcomed an announcement by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration that Nebraska will receive $2.1 million in grants for development of broadband data access .....
Broadband Funding: Yes, in Your Backyard
[2010/1/13]
As technology grant applicants and broadband champions watch developments unfold on various fronts, there’s a danger that frustration will drive people to “excuse-driven” broadband strategy: .....
Ky. Libraries Offer Broadband Access For More
[2010/1/12]
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has announced a partnership with the Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives (KDLA) and 13 other states to help public libraries compete for federal broadband stimulus funds .....
Broadband Boosts Economic Development to a Point
[2010/1/12]
My husband once calculated that $131 of our taxes will go toward the $7.2 billion in broadband stimulus money. As far as I’m concerned that would be money well spent on our part .....
Rockingham County Broadband Call Center To Employee 18
[2010/1/12]
The Rockingham County Business & Technology Center (RCBTC) today announces that it has been awarded a contract to establish a broadband mapping call center .....
NTIA's Matchmaking Site for Billions of Broadband Bucks
[2010/1/11]
Now we’re going to throw a sexy news hook at you: The National Telecommunications and Information Administration and the Rural Utilities Service .....
Considered Local Investors for Your Broadband Network?
[2010/1/11]
Happy New Year! I know, a little later than others’. But I wanted to give you some time to dig out from that first-of-the-year pile of work .....
NTIA and RUS Launch Dating Service For Broadband Stimulus Applicants
[2010/1/11]
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration and the Rural Utilities Service on Thursday launched a new web site designed to foster partnerships and collaborations among broadband stimulus applicants .....
NTIA, RUS Launch Matchmaking Site
[2010/1/11]
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) have launched a new Web site for broadband stimulus fund applicants that helps them find partners for broadband projects .....
FCC seeks delay to US broadband plan
[2010/1/8]
The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is asking lawmakers to give it more time to draw up a national broadband plan .....
FCC Delays Broadband Plan Delivery
[2010/1/8]
Signs that the Federal Communications Commission is having trouble grappling with a national broadband plan surfaced Thursday when FCC chairman Julius Genachowski asked Congress for a one-month extension .....
U.K. government allocates $1.6 billion for broadband
[2010/1/8]
The British government has high hopes to expand broadband to more customers outside of the major cities, and to prove it has created a $1.6 billion next-gen broadband fund .....
NTIA, Rural Utilities Service Launch BroadbandMatch
[2010/1/7]
Just think of it as match.com for broadband applicants .....
Tool matches partners for broadband grants
[2010/1/7]
The two federal agencies charged with handing out $7.2 billion in grants to spur broadband access and adoption launched a new online tool Thursday aimed at helping those interested in applying for the broadband grants to find potential partners .....
Like Match.com? Feds Launch BroadbandMatch
[2010/1/7]
Not even the federal government can resist the increasingly popular phenomenon of online matchmaking .....
FCC Wants More Time to Craft Broadband Plan
[2010/1/7]
In a Thursday letter to Congress, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski requested additional time for the commission to deliver its national broadband plan .....
FCC to delay national broadband report
[2010/1/7]
The Federal Communications Commission may lose a critical battle in its fight to impose Net neutrality rules to keep the Internet open .....
UPDATE 1-US to delay release of anticipated broadband plan
[2010/1/7]
The U.S. Federal Communications Commission will delay submitting its highly anticipated National Broadband Plan report to Congress by one month .....
FCC Asks For 1-Month Extension To Deliver Broadband Plan
[2010/1/7]
The Federal Communications Commission will miss a congressionally mandated deadline for delivering a plan on how the U.S. can ensure all Americans have access to high-speed, affordable broadband service .....
FCC Chairman To Silicon Valley: We Need Your Best Ideas
[2010/1/6]
In America’s complicated business landscape, Silicon Valley is not an island. The innovations that come from the famous tech hotspot have the potential to boost economies nationwide .....
A Broadband Connection Per Household
[2010/1/6]
For many of us that live in or near urban areas -- we are not too concerned about our Internet connection .....
Consulting Firm Exec: Broadband Stimulus Suffers from Three 'Critical Gaps'
[2010/1/6]
If the federal government’s broadband stimulus program continues at its current tortoise-like pace the effort will fail to achieve its goal of bringing broadband to unserved and underserved areas .....
Broadband stimulus money flowing at a trickle
[2010/1/6]
Just before the Christmas holiday, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) doled out the first broadband stimulus awards .....
Broadband Stimulus Lacks Bandwidth
[2010/1/6]
The federal government's announcement of the first broadband stimulus awards is a terrific first step in extending the reach of broadband communications .....
Does Broadband Boost Economic Development?
[2010/1/6]
With the National Broadband Plan due to Congress in just over a month and the next round of broadband stimulus funding fast approaching .....
Libraries want more stimulus money for public computer centers
[2010/1/4]
The American Library Association (ALA) issued a letter to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) asking the agency to substantially increase the amount of funding allocated .....
D.C. Starts Year With Heat Wave
[2010/1/4]
As members of Congress headed home after a late December session, a lot of unfinished business remained on the communications front .....
FierceTelecom 2010 Prediction: Middle mile march
[2010/1/3]
In bridging the so-called broadband divide, service providers in underserved areas will need competitively priced interconnection and backhaul facilities .....