Posts Tagged broadband
Significant Interest in Broadband Stimulus Funds
Some 2,200 groups have made requests for stimulus funds intended to expand the reach of broadband in the US, the government has reported. While only $4 billion in funds have been initially earmarked for these projects, together the requests total some $28 billion.
Obviously, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration and the Rural Utilities Service — the two agencies responsible with selecting winners — will not be able to honor every request. Over the next few months, officials will look over the applications and announce winners in November.
Those who lose out will have two additional opportunities to compete for additional funding after the initial awards. It is not clear how much the government intends to make available in those rounds, although another $3.2 billion will be available.
A quick survey of the requests show the bulk of them deal with Internet buildouts to underserved areas. Other requests aim to promote Internet use among groups who typically do not use the net, and offering Internet in public spaces and schools.
Don’t envy the job of those in charge of selecting who wins — USA Today reported that some of these applications total 500 pages or more.
FCC Using Blogging, Twitter to Promote Broadband Plan
The Federal Communications Commission launched a blog and twitter account on Tuesday, part of a larger effort to drum up public support and participation as it develops a National Broadband Plan. The broadband effort has been described by chairman Julius Genachowski as “one of the most important initiatives that the FCC has ever undertaken.”
While the plan is not due until February 17, 2010, the agency has started a blog called “Blogband,” which would aim to keep citizens up to date on the process. Comments received from citizens would be factored in to decisions on the overall path forward, Genachowski wrote on the blog.
In a subsequent post, the plan’s author Blair Levin said writing the plan will be no easy task.
“[The plan] will require sustained thinking, and our broadband team is leading an assault of sustained thinking by the entire FCC on the stubborn problem of bringing broadband to unserved and underserved areas, increasing the number of Americans using broadband, and maximizing how broadband can be used to help address significant national issues. Expect the unexpected. Nothing is pre-baked but the fortune cookies.”
Adding to the national conversation on broadband would be a Twitter feed, fccdotgov. While this appears to be a general feed — not only intended for publicizing its work on the Broadband Plan — it still is another way the agency is turning to technology to do its work.
It certainly will be interesting to watch over the next few months as the FCC tackles the problem of broadband access for all. This is not an easy task — the USA is one big country. But I will credit the government for at least trying to be more inclusive.
I’m also really curious if this new blogging FCC will expand to other areas, opening up the process further. Imagine if they had a blog on approving mergers like Sirius XM. I can only speculate what the comments to those posts would have been like!
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