NTIA Sends Congress a BTOP Update

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration transmitted its second quarterly status report to Congress this week highlighting steps being taken to implement the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program that was created as part of the economic stimulus package. The report, dated Aug. 17 but released publicly Aug 19, focuses on the release of the first notice of funds available; public outreach initiatives; preparations to accept and evaluate applications; and other steps to improve NTIA's organizational readiness. The report also covers release of a notice of funds available concerning the broadband mapping program and a subsequent clarification on requirements for address-level broadband data, average revenue per user, last-mile connection points, and broadband speeds, and took other steps to appropriately protect confidential data consistent with applicable law. Additionally, NTIA indicated that it intends to identify all broadband providers by name on the broadband map rather than leaving such identification to the discretion of the provider. NTIA's timeline for BTOP targets 1) state consultations on applications between Sept 14 and Oct 15, 2) announcement of grants in Nov, and 3) a second NOFA to be released in winter 2009.