Not surprising – huge demand for broadband grants

I saw an article in eschoolnews.com about the requests the federal government received for the first round of broadband stimulus money. The amount of requests in this round: approximately $28 billion. The stimulus allocated $7.2 billion in total funding for broadband projects, and the government has $4 billion in loans and grants initially available.

The Illinois State Library (ISL) and the Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity (DCEO) explored submitting an application on behalf of Illinois libraries but were unable to complete the application in time for the August deadline. Of the 45 public, school and academic libraries responding, there were requests for more than $1.9 million in equipment and facility upgrades to enhance broadband services to patrons. The ISL and DCEO have agreed to continue discussions to develop an application for Illinois libraries in a future broadband funding round. There are still two more rounds anticipated.

Why all the interest? This is the first time the federal government has made a concerted effort to expand internet access to rural and underserved communities. A recent report from the Communications Workers of America (CWA) suggested the US ranks 28th in the world in average internet connections speeds and is not making significant progress in building a faster network. As a rural resident, I can attest for the lack of high speed options in my small predominately agriculture community.

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and the Rural Utilities Service will pick the winning applicants and announce them in November.