BTOP/BIP Grantees

The Treasury Department has told the National Telecommunications & Information Administration that some broadband grants will be tax deductible, and others won't.

KeyOn Communications announced last week that all of its eleven applications, for $152 million in capital subsidies in Round I of the federal broadband stimulus program, were rejected by the Department of Agriculture's Rural Utilities Service.

The massive economic stimulus package that Congress passed last year included $7.2 billion to promote the spread of high-speed Internet connections in the United States. We can quibble over whether those funds helped stimulate the economy -- it took almost a year for the federal government to approve the first grant requests -- but not about the long-term value of the investment.

The Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) today announced that it has awarded grants to fund broadband mapping and planning activities in Virginia and American Samoa under...

The Commerce Department announced an $80 million broadband investment in Louisiana on Friday morning, during a conference call hosted by Commerce Secretary Gary Locke and Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA).

The House Commerce Subcommittee on Communications, Technology and the Internet held an oversight hearing on the broadband stimulus programs created in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Top Democrats on the panel said they are pleased with the progress of the stimulus spending.

This report focuses on: first round application review; first round grant awards; issuance of the second NOFA, including changes from the first NOFA; steps taken to ensure sufficient oversight and compliance; and efforts to ensure sufficient staffing and resources. This report also provides an update on the State Broadband Data and Development Program (Broadband Mapping Program), including an update on awards made and other steps taken to develop a national broadband map.

Count Level 3 as one of the few established telecom service providers to apply for -- and this week win -- federal broadband stimulus funding, with a pragmatic goal not of opening up broad new fiber vistas but rather extending its existing network and services where it makes business sense. But it demonstrates how an established service provider, and not just new broadband entrants, can take advantage of stimulus funding to both move forward laudable goals of serving rural or other remote areas while also advancing their core business strategy.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced the selection of 22 broadband infrastructure projects to give rural residents in 18 states or territories access to improved economic and educational opportunities.

The National Cable & Telecommunications Association and member company Eagle Communications are concerned that the government broadband stimulus program is underwriting overbuilders rather than targeting truly unserved areas.