Thursday, April 23, 2009

BTOP Links

Here is a collection of BTOP (Broadband Stimulus) links.

IDC study: Stimulus bill to spark more than $100B in tech spending.

SmartGrid Tech: it's on the stimulus list of projects. Miami is going ahead with the first one.

The Purposes of the Grant Program: Section 6001 of the Recovery Act establishes five purposes for the BTOP grant program:

Section 6001(b) states that the purposes of the program are to--

  • (1) Provide access to broadband service to consumers residing in unserved areas of the United States;
  • (2) provide improved access to broadband service to consumers residing in under-served areas of the United States;
  • (3) provide broadband education, awareness, training, access, equipment, and support to--
  • (A) Schools, libraries, medical and healthcare providers, community colleges, and other institutions of higher education, and other community support organizations and entities to facilitate greater use of broadband service by or through these organizations;
  • (B) organizations and agencies that provide outreach, access, equipment, and support services to facilitate greater use of broadband service by low-income, unemployed, aged, and otherwise vulnerable populations; and
  • (C) job-creating strategic facilities located within a State-designated economic zone, Economic Development District designated by the Department of Commerce, Renewal Community or Empowerment Zone designated by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, or Enterprise Community designated by the Department of Agriculture;
  • (4) improve access to, and use, of broadband service by public safety agencies; and
  • (5) stimulate the demand for broadband, economic growth, and job creation.

from WhyDom: "For the telecom industry, $7.2 billion in grants, loans, and loan guarantees are targeted for broadband projects in the next 22 months. The Fiber on a Pole opportunities are open to all sectors of the industry, not just service providers: equipment vendors, systems integrators, education entities, and wireless and wireline carriers. To complicate matters, governmental entities – towns, municipalities, public safety agencies, and state governments are permitted by the ACT to compete with private industry for the grant money......There are a few guiding principals for obtaining the winning bids:

  1. Jobs: Grant proposals must deliver jobs – the more the better
  2. Spend it now: NTIA funds are for capital expenditures only and the funds must be spent by December 2010
  3. Shovel Ready: Projects must be “shovel ready” – that is ready to begin work immediately upon the award of the grant. “Shovel ready” may apply to consulting work, as the Business Insider points out with a Merrill Lynch bridge project.

Did you miss the NTIA meetings? Video available online.

Occam Networks has been blogging about all the NTIA meetings.

Applying for Broadband Grants Through the NTIA (by Educause)

Let's Get to Work on the Purposes of the Broadband Grant Program.

No comments: