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The U.S. Congress has appropriated $4.7 billion to establish a Broadband Technology Opportunities Program for awards to eligible entities to develop and expand broadband services to unserved and underserved areas and improve access to broadband by public safety agencies. Of these funds, $250 million will be available for innovative programs that encourage sustainable adoption of broadband services; at least $200 million will be available to upgrade technology and capacity at public computing centers, including community colleges and public libraries; $10 million will be a transfer to the Office of Inspector General for the purposes of BTOP audits and oversight. Up to $350 million of the BTOP funding is designated for the development and maintenance of statewide broadband inventory maps. Congressional Testimony: Hearing on the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act: Testimony of Mark G. Seifert, Senior Advisor to the Assistant Secretary, NTIA, before the House Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, and the Internet, Committee on Energy and Commerce hearing on Oversight of the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act of 2009: Broadband. (Print
version Acrobat PDF 34 Kb) Clarification: On February 24, 2009, the National Telecommunications and
Information Administration (NTIA) published a Notice in the Federal
Register announcing its intention to begin holding meetings on March 2,
2009, in connection with the broadband grant programs described in the
Broadband Data Services Improvement Act, Public Law No. 110-385, and
the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act),
Public Law No. 111-5 (collectively, ``Broadband Grant Programs''). This
Notice provides clarification regarding those meetings.
Media
Advisory: NTIA and USDA's Rural Utilities Service
to Hold Public Meetings to Help Shape American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act's Broadband Initiatives:
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural
Utilities Services (RUS) and the U.S. Department
of Commerce (Commerce) National Telecommunications
and Information Administration (NTIA) will hold
a series of public meetings on the Broadband Technology
Opportunities Program and the additional authority
for the RUS to make grants and loans for the deployment
and construction of broadband systems. Agenda is
included. (Acrobat PDF 125 KB) Press
Release: Vilsack, Copps and Wade Kick Off American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act's Broadband Initiative:
U.S. Department of Agriculture Sec. Tom Vilsack,
Acting Federal Communications Commission Chairman
Michael Copps and U.S. Dept. of Commerce Senior
Advisor and Acting Chief of Staff Rick Wade kicked
off the joint broadband initiative under the American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act today and announced
a series of public meetings. (Acrobat PDF 198Kb) Public Notices Federal
Register Notice: Joint Broadband Technology
Opportunities Program Request for Information:
Pursuant to Section 6001 of the American Recovery
and Reinvestment Act of 2009, Commerce's NTIA and
Agriculture's RUS will hold a series of public
meetings about the new broadband programs beginning
on March 16, 2009. Through this notice, guidance
is provided as to the matters to be discussed at
these public meetings and the categories of information
with respect to which interested parties may submit
comments. Federal
Register Notice: American Recovery and Reinvestment
Act of 2009 Broadband Initiatives:
NTIA, U.S. Department of Agriculture's Office of
Rural Development, and Federal Communications Commission
(FCC) will host a public meeting on March 10, 2009,
in connection with the Broadband Initiatives funded
by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of
2009, Public Law No. 111-5. Federal
Register Notice: Public Notice of Broadband
Grant Programs Meetings: NTIA will begin
holding meetings with interested parties on Monday,
March 2, 2009, in connection with the broadband
grant programs described in the Broadband Data
Services Improvement Act and the American Recovery
and Reinvestment Act of 2009. All interested parties
are invited to schedule a meeting. For news media inquiries, please contact Mark Tolbert at press@ntia.doc.gov. |
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