The State’s Broadband Review Team, created by the Governor’s Office on Economic Recovery and Reinvestment (OERR) to develop guidelines, goals and determine the best use of the $4.7 billion in the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) competitive grant funding available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), is seeking input from public, private, and non-profit communities that are interested in applying for federal broadband grants by submitting a Letter of Interest to the OERR no later than Friday, August 7, 2009.

The Broadband Review Team will review the Letters of Interest in the context of the Rhode Island’s Broadband goals and provide feedback on individual proposals, identify opportunities for collaboration across entities and projects and advise the Governor regarding projects being submitted that impact Rhode Island, prior to the August 14th deadline to submit applications to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA).

Letters on Interest should be limited to five (5) pages, and should address the following areas:

a. BTOP Project Category b. Project Description c. Major Milestones and Associated Time Frames d. Agency Broadband Experience e. Project Partners f. Impact of Proposed Broadband Project g. Extent to Which Project Supports Public Safety, Education, and/or Healthcare h. Estimated Number of Jobs Created i. Sustainability After Funding Ends j. Project Budget k. Demonstrated Match – National Telecommunications and Information Administration requires a 20% match LOI should demonstrate how match requirement will be met.

Letters of Interest should be submitted via email to the Office of Economic Recovery and Reinvestment no later than August 7, 2009 at recoveryri@state.ri.us The email subject line should read: [Broadband LOI]_[Name of Entity Submitting LOI].

The mission of the Broadband Review Team is to increase awareness of broadband funding opportunities, explore opportunities for collaborative efforts amongst potential applicants for broadband funding, and to obtain public comment on broadband priorities for Rhode Island. The Broadband Review Team is co-chaired by John Landers, Chief Information Officer for the State of Rhode Island and Michael Pickett, Chief Information Officer, Computer and Information Services for Brown University.

“Stimulus-funded broadband grants are anticipated to be highly competitive, and as a State, we should put our collective best foot forward,” said John Landers, co-chair of the Broadband Review Team. “By combining ideas and resources, we will better position the State to receive funds to improve overall broadband access in Rhode Island.”

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 authorized the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to implement the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP), to expand broadband services to unserved and underserved areas, improve broadband access for public safety agencies, schools, libraries, medical and healthcare providers, community colleges and other institutions of higher education, and stimulate the economy by creating jobs. BTOP makes two-year competitive grants available to states, non-profit organizations and broadband service providers, and requires a 20 percent matching investment from nonfederal funding sources.

Applications for BTOP funding are to be submitted to the NTIA by August 14, 2009. NTIA will review all applications and send the Governor a list of applications under consideration for funding. The Broadband Review Team will review ARRA broadband grant applications, and recommend projects for endorsement by the Governor that provide the greatest service to the citizens of Rhode Island.

For more information on the Broadband grant opportunities, please visit www.recovery.ri.gov or www.broadbandusa.gov.

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