Economic Recovery and Reinvestment

Broadband Funding in the ARRA

Program Description: There is a total of $7.2 billion appropriated for broadband funding in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). This funding will not be administered at the state level but by two federal agencies. (1) The Commerce Department’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) will receive $4.7 billion to administer the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP); (2) The Agriculture Department’s Rural Utilities Service (RUS) will receive $2.5 billion to administer the Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP). The overall purposes of the broadband language in the ARRA are:

• To provide broadband service (e.g., faster Internet access) to consumers in unserved areas of the country and improved broadband service to consumers in underserved areas.
• To provide broadband education, awareness, training, access, and support to libraries, educational institutions and other organizations to facilitate greater use of broadband, including more use by low-income, unemployed, aged, and otherwise vulnerable populations.

Late-breaking information:

September: A Federal Broadband Grant Application search site is now available. DPI has compiled an unofficial list of the Wisconsin applications.

August: On August 19 the State of Wisconsin, Department of Administration (DOA) filed a grant application under the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP). The application is to bring fiber connectivity to the schools and public libraries in the state that are on the BadgerNet Converged Network (BCN) but still do not have fiber. The application includes: 74 schools or school districts; 385 public libraries; 8 higher education campuses. This represents a total of 467 sites in 382 communities across the state. The following documents provide more information on this application.

• Executive Summary – 4 pages
• Executive Summary – 2 page abridged version
• List of Schools and Libraries – these are the schools and libraries included in the application
• Frequently Asked Questions – August 31, 2009 version

July: Grant guidelines and application forms became available on July 1. They are available on the Broadband USA website. The application filing deadline was August 20, 2009.

May: The DPI has published an ARRA Broadband FAQ, both with and without Wisconsin-specific information. Both FAQs were updated on May 26.

• ARRA Broadband FAQ - WI specific.
• ARRA Broadband FAQ - General. This does not have the Wisconsin-specific information.

April: On April 10 the DPI filed comments with the NTIA that included recommendations on how the broadband program should be implemented and what priorities NTIA should consider when awarding grants. Key recommendations include the following:

• The NTIA should make fiber and its related infrastructure a grant priority
• Priority or preference in the grant ranking process should also consider:
  • Applications that support a State’s list of priorities
  • Applications that provide long-term benefits (e.g., fiber)
  • Applications that seek to expand existing programs and services
  • Applications that show collaboration or partnerships
  • Applications that demonstrate a large regional or statewide impact
• Schools, libraries, and higher education all should qualify to submit grants for education, training, equipment, and support
• Grants addressing the education and training purposes in the law should have a streamlined application process.

Funding: There is $7.2 billion appropriated. Most of this funding will be distributed through a competitive grant process but some will be distributed as low interest loans. The federal share of any project may not exceed 80 percent. Some of the funding is targeted at specific groups or for particular purposes. For example:

• There is a minimum of $200 million for competitive grants to expand “public computer center capacity.” Public libraries and community colleges are specifically referenced as eligible for this funding.
• There is a minimum $250 million for competitive grants for innovative programs that encourage adoption and sustainability of broadband service.
• There is a maximum of $350 million allocated for the NTIA to develop and maintain a broadband inventory map.
• Most remaining funds will be for a large broadband deployment and expansion program.

Application process: The application process is is explained on the Broadband USA website.

Timeline: There will be three application time frames: July - August 2009; November - December 2009; April - May 2010. The latter two time frames are estimates. All grant awards must be made by the end of the 2010 federal fiscal year (September 30, 2010).

Contacts:

• State DPI contact: Bob Bocher, 608-266-2127, robert.bocher@dpi.wi.gov
• State Public Service Commission contact: Gary Evenson, 608-266-6744, gary.evenson@psc.state.wi.us
• Federal contact: 1-888-861-5509, helpdesk@broadbandusa.gov

Links:

• DOA Grant Application Executive Summary
• DPI Comments Filed With NTIA
• Economic Stimulus - Broadband Information (from EDUCAUSE)
• $7.2 Billion for Broadband (from the American Library Association)
• Broadband Language in the ARRA (the complete broadband text in a more readable form)
• NTIA: Broadband Technology Opportunities Program
• DPI Recovery and Reinvestment Portal
• Wisconsin Office of Recovery and Reinvestment — Broadband Funding Information
• Recovery.gov

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For questions about this information, contact Robert F. Bocher (608) 266-2127

Last updated on 9/10/2009 2:37:29 PM