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According to a Pew Research Center Internet & American Life Project study, "The Mobile Difference," nearly 40 percent Americans have positive and improving attitudes about their mobile communication devices, thereby further immersing themselves into a more robust digital lifestyle.
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How will broadband affect burgeoning controversies over health care? The answers to this question and more came courtesy of a Broadband Cenus-hosted, hour-long panel discussion. View a video of the discussion.
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President Obama on Innovation and Sustainable Growth. President Barack Obama has new plans to strengthen the economy that will all favor people with hi-tech educations.
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Elevate Miami, a comprehensive Digital Inclusion program launched by the city of Miami, aims to serve youth, low-income families, minorities, seniors and residents facing barriers to digital inclusion.
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The Knight Center of Digital Excellence held its first Stimulus Webcast Session for Knight communities and program directors July 23. Watch it online now.
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By pushing hard on broadband, lawmakers hope to close the "digital divide" that has long separated rural America. In doing so, they hope to give rural consumers access to the same sorts of high-speed services and opportunities - think telemedicine, distance-learning and Web-based commerce - that city dwellers have enjoyed for years.
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Posts Tagged ‘Add new tag’
Tuesday, November 10th, 2009
Late this afternoon, the USDA’s Rural Utilities Service (RUS) and the Commerce Department’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announced they are streamlining the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act’s (ARRA) funding to one round instead of two to increase efficiency and better accommodate applicants.
RUS’s Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP) and NTIA’s Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) are intended to expand broadband access and adoption in America, advancing the goals of the ARRA by creating jobs and stimulating long-term economic growth and opportunity. The first round of these grants and loan programs produced about 2,200 applications requesting nearly $28 billion. The agencies are currently reviewing these applications and expect to award up to $4 billion in loans, grants and loan/grant combinations in this round beginning in December 2009.
“This will get the funds out the door faster to stimulate the economy and create jobs. It gives applicants and communities a greater opportunity to come together to form networks and find more creative ways to connect to the global economy through broadband,” said Jonathan Adelstein, administrator, Rural Utilities Service, USDA. “We are listening to applicants, reviewing applications received, and all indications suggest a need to revisit the application process. We will consider changes in the next NOFA [Notice of Funding Availability] to make the process more ‘applicant friendly’ from beginning to end.”
The agencies also announced they are seeking public comment on how best to administer the second round of funding for the programs in order to improve the applicant experience and maximize the ability of the programs to meet ARRA objectives. In a Request for Information (RFI) released today, the agencies are seeking feedback on procedural and policy aspects of BIP and BTOP. While inviting general input on the programs, the agencies identified specific areas for comment.
RUS and NTIA will utilize the feedback received in response to the RFI to set the rules for the second funding round, which the agencies expect to announce through a Notice of Funding Availability early next year.
Tags: Add new tag, American Recovery & Reinvestment Act 2009, BIP, broadband, Broadband Initiatives Program, Broadband Technology Opportunities Program, BTOP, digital, Internet, Jonathan Adelstein, Knight Center of Digital Excellence, National Telecommunications and Information Administration, NOFA, Notice of Funding Availability, NTIA, Request for Information, RFI, Rural Utilities Service, RUS, stimulus, stimulus watch, U.S. Department of Commerce, USDA
Posted in ARRA, Digital news, Knight Center of Digital Excellence, NTIA, RUS, Stimulus Package | No Comments »
Thursday, July 16th, 2009
All industries have their own lexicon and acronyms that one needs to be proficient in to “talk the talk.” The world of broadband stimulus is no different. Are you lost in the world of acronyms? Here’s the Knight Center of Digital Excellence’s cheat sheet:
ARRA (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009)
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is the government’s strategic and significant investment in our country’s future. This includes $7.2 billion for broadband infrastructure.
FCC (Federal Communications Commission)
The FCC is currently working in coordination with the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). Specifically working in conjunction with the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) established by the ARRA, the FCC has been tasked with creating a National Broadband Plan by Feb. 17, 2010.
NTIA (National Telecommunications and Information Administration)
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration is an agency in the U.S. Department of Commerce that serves as the executive branch agency principally responsible for advising President Barack Obama on telecommunications and information policies.
RUS (Rural Utilities Service)
A program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the RUS provides programs to finance rural America’s telecommunications infrastructure. The Broadband Loan program provides loans to fund the costs of constructing, improving and acquiring facilities to provide broadband service to eligible rural communities.
BIP (Broadband Initiatives Program)
BIP is a program of U.S. Department of Agriculture that is administered by RUS and will make loans and grants for broadband infrastructure projects in rural areas.
BTOP (Broadband Technology Opportunities Program)
BTOP is a NTIA program to provide grants for funding broadband infrastructure, public computer centers and sustainable broadband adoption projects.
NOFA (Notice of Fund Availability)
On July 1, 2009, RUS and NTIA announced a joint Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) to be published in the Federal Register seeking applications for funding.
Tags: Add new tag, American Recovery & Reinvestment Act 2009, ARRA, BIP, broadband, Broadband Initiatives Program, Broadband Technology Opportunities Program, BTOP, FCC, infrastructure, Knight Center of Digital Excellence, NTIA, rural communities, Rural Utilities Service, RUS, stimulus
Posted in ARRA, Knight Center of Digital Excellence, NTIA, Stimulus Package, broadband | No Comments »
Thursday, May 7th, 2009
by Mark Ansboury, VP & CTO OneCommunity and Knight Center of Digital Excellence
1:00
Tim Nulty of EC Fiber in Vermont just finished sharing his thoughts on why laying fiber is cheaper than copper was 80 years ago. He also spoke about the fact that rural communities cannot find funding and do not have the capacity to build business cases and financing. His solution: We should reconsider business models to create an open network.
1:10
Gary Evans from Hiawatha Broadband in rural Minnesota has created a sustainable network like the network created in Cleveland by OneCommunity Hiawatha has fiber access across more than 600 square miles and are doing fiber to the premises in rural cities and expanding middle mile to connect rural communities.
1:20
Donny Smith of Jaguar Communications definition of community based broadband: build as capital is available and achievable and take the rates penetration rates up to 90%.
Tags: Add new tag, broadband, digital, digital divide, Donny Smith, EC Fiber, economy, Gary Evans, Hiawatha Broadband, high-speed, infrastructure, innovation, Jaguar Communi, KCoDE, Knight Center of Digital Excellence, Mark Ansboury, Minnesota, OneCommunity, stimulus, Tim Nulty, Vermont
Posted in Knight Center of Digital Excellence, Stimulus Package, live blogging | No Comments »
Tuesday, January 27th, 2009
With the economy in turmoil, it’s not surprising that U.S. mayors are looking for fresh ideas to jump-start local economies. It was in that spirit that the U.S. Conference of Mayors invited the Knight Center of Digital Excellence to deliver a keynote address on the potential of broadband and the promise of a “connected community” at its 2009 winter conference on Jan. 18 in Washington, D.C. (See video from Conference of Mayors broadband discussion)
One person who knows how the Knight Center can help communities is Manny Diaz, mayor of Miami, and president of the conference of mayors. The Knight Center has been working with Mayor Diaz and other Miami leaders to develop a community broadband strategy, so he asked the Knight Center to explain the tangible impact broadband infrastructure would have on creating jobs and helping local economies. (more…)
Tags: Add new tag, Akron, broadband, digital, infrastructure, Internet, Knight, Knight Center, Knight Center of Digital Excellence
Posted in Digital news, Knight Center, OneCommunity | 1 Comment »
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