Tuesday, July 14, 2009

BTOP Update again

BTOP and BIP Broadband Grants availability

From the LAW OFFICES OF THOMAS K. CROWE, P.C.:

Last week, on July 1, 2009, the Rural Utilities Service (“RUS”) of the Department of Agriculture and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (“NTIA”) of the Department of Commerce released a Notice of Funds Availability (“NOFA”) announcing the policies and application procedures for the first round of funding for broadband initiatives established pursuant to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (“Recovery Act”). Pursuant to the Recovery Act, the RUS has established the Broadband Initiatives Program (“BIP”), and the NTIA has established the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (“BTOP”).

Read the rest here

Hearing on Review of Rural Broadband Programs

Testimony of Mark G. Seifert, Senior Advisor to the Assistant Secretary, National Telecommunications and Information Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, before the U.S. House of Representatives (Subcommittee on Rural Development, Biotechnology, Specialty Crops, and Foreign Agriculture of the Committee on Agriculture) Whew!

“[W]e will act, not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together.”

"In my testimony, I will focus on NTIA’s implementation of BTOP and the State Broadband Data Program, and address our collaborative efforts with RUS and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to achieve the objectives of the Recovery Act and expand access to broadband services in the United States." Read the testimony here.

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