$15 billion sought in broadband projects

ALBANY –  New York State submitted 49 of the 867 applications for round 2 of the federal broadband stimulus grants, announced Gov. David A. Paterson.
Seeking $600 million, the state also committed to match the federal grants with its own Innovation Grants Program.
New York State Chief Information Officer and Director of the Office for Technology, Dr. Melodie Mayberry-Stewart said, “Leading states are implementing strategies to establish digital literacy standards and ensure universal broadband Internet services are accessible and affordable for citizens and businesses. Receiving federal stimulus funding is critically important to help New York achieve its goal of creating more ‘e-citizens’ who are digitally literate and connected to affordable high-speed Internet services so they can be full participants in the State’s New Innovation and Digital Economy.”

“For the second round of BTOP funding, we sharpened our program focus and encouraged applicants to create comprehensive proposals to meet the needs of their communities. We are pleased that a high percentage of applicants appear to have met our priorities and we look forward to reviewing this more targeted pool of applications,” said Lawrence E. Strickling, Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information and Administrator of NTIA. “We will move quickly but carefully to fund the best projects to bring broadband and jobs to more Americans.”   A preliminary analysis of applicant-reported data shows that NTIA received requests for grants totaling more than $11 billion. When including about $4.5 billion in non-Federal matching funds committed by the applicants, there are over $15.5 billion in proposed broadband projects.
During Round 1, four organizations in New York State were awarded approximately $75 million in federal broadband stimulus dollars. Combined with private and state matching grants, the total broadband investment of these four projects totals $107 million.  That included the NYC Connected Learning project received $22 million to provide computer training, desktop computers, educational software, and free broadband access for one year to more than 18,000 low-income sixth graders and their families in 100 high-need public middle schools in New York City.
Georgia received $48 million from the first round, including $33 million for a 260-mile fiber optic network serving eight north Georgia counties, $13.5 million for the Columbus County Community Broadband Network and $1.4 mlllion to Level 3 EON to buiild four new access points stretching from Atlanta south to Savannah and north to the South Carolina border.
Richard Calhoun runs the Wireless Communities program for the Georgia Technology Authority.    The authority just announced its fifth community to receive a grant to create a wireless network — $862,500 to Milledgeville.  Other cities which have deployed such networks are Augusta, Decatur, Dublin and Thomasville.
The Maryland Broadband Cooperative (MDBC) is a member-owned and operated universal access, fiber optic network designed to deliver an advanced, world-class broadband network across the rural communities Eastern, Southern and Western Maryland fostering economic development and supported by its’ members who will provide Last Mile services.