NTIA to begin awarding broadband stimulus grants in November

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration, along with the Department of Agriculture's Rural Utilities Service, is still sorting through nearly $28 billion worth of applications for broadband stimulus grants--nearly seven times the $4 billion available for the program in this first round. However, the NTIA hopes to begin awarding the first round of its grants in early November, according to Anna Gomez, NTIA's deputy administrator and deputy assistant secretary for communications and information. Later this fall, the agency will solicit comments on the first round of grants and gather best practices. Then, by late winter, the NTIA is to receive the second round of applications. Currently, the NTIA is deciding whether to combine the second round of applications with a third round, though Gomez emphasized that a decision had not been made either way. Additionally, the NTIA is set to receive broadband mapping data from states by February.