Getting Your Hands on Broadband Stimulus Cash

Because of the financial crisis, the government has decided to hand out several billion dollars. However, it will not be easy to get a piece out of it. Claiming your piece of the seven billion and two hundred million dollar broadband stimulus budget will require proof that one is competent and can bring about results for a solid public good. This was according to the experts during the conference Freedom to Connect.

Details of the Stimulus Package

Baller Herbst Law Group maven Jim Baller had also noted that the law firm he owns had already posted several basic information regarding this stimulus. This includes all the details of how much money can be directly allocated to this broadband package as well as if there are additional funds which might be of use to the other broadband projects. These include funds that can be allocated for transportation, health care technology, smart grids (where one can apply information technology to the concept of energy in reducing waste), public safety, school construction, energy efficient housing retrofits and public housing. The member of the Fiber to the Home Council Tom Cohen, as well as Kelly Drye & Warren LLP law firm, notes that the National Telecommunications and Information Administration or NTIA has around four billion and seven hundred million dollars in budget. However, not every single penny of that budget will go into the broadband project. The BTOP or the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program will be allocating two hundred and fifty million dollars for the innovative programs that can encourage the sustainable adoption for such broadband services. There is two hundred million dollars set aside for public computing upgrades (like public libraries) as well as three hundred and fifty million dollars set aside for broadband mapping.

Program Means

He also adds that the program’s goal is more than creating broadband deployment. The NTIA also asked to deliver out some broadband services for the underserved and unserved areas. These are terms that are still awaiting further definitions. While it may not be hard to agree on the definition of unserved, there might be some disagreements regarding the definition of the term underserved. Such a program is also geared towards ensuring that there are strategic institutions which are highly likely to come up with jobs as well as provide other public benefits of these broadband connections. Because he is a fiber lobbyist, Cohen is also quite eager to pinpoint that the fiber networks of buildings are great opportunities to create more construction jobs. Additionally, Cohen mentions that it is significant to note that the group Rural Utilities Service, an overseer of around two billion and five hundred million dollars, has also been asked to serve out some areas which are also seventy five percent rural – which is a departure from previous practices that had required them to use RUS funds in order to be of service to areas that are said to be one hundred percent rural.