Monday, March 30, 2009

BB Stimulus Update

Microsoft commented to the FCC on the Broadband Stimulus plan. MS said:

"Microsoft believes that if the US government were to accomplish just one goal in this process, it should be to ensure that all schools, libraries and hospitals across the nation are connected to future‐proof broadband facilities, such as fiber‐optic cable. By offering these community anchor institutions connections with speeds that can approach 100 Mbps, plus expansion capacity, the federal government will bring communities nationwide into the larger national and international digital environment. The benefits of such a strategy will be direct, tangible, rapid and profound."

So you know where Microsoft stands. ARS Technica has a detailed article about some strategies and details. Read it here.

There's going to be a new head of the NTIA: Larry Strickling.

The next FCC meeting is April 8th. The agenda.

Telephony has an article about the BB Stim Plan here. Best quote: "because at least one grant must be given to each state (plus D.C. and some U.S. territories), the money will be spread thinly. So officials urged applicants to team up to beef up their proposals."

1 comment:

Unknown said...

The Microsoft comment makes a lot of sense, so does the comment regarding the money be given to small businesses rather than large ILEC/Cable Company types. If the schools' networks can be linked to a local wireless provider it makes a lot of sense for rural communities.