NTIA Releases a BTOP Award Summary

As the election season enters its vicious final weeks, the Administration needs all the good publicity it can get. So, doing my part, I reprint here the summary of the program awards that NTIA issued under the oft maligned American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. (BTW: This was in conjunction with the final BTOP award announcements that miraculously were completed before the deadline of September 30.)

“Based on estimates provided by grant recipients, the 233 BTOP projects will: 

    * Fund the installation or upgrade of approximately 120,000 miles of broadband networks, including fiber-optics, wireless, microwave, and other technologies.  Of this amount, approximately 70,000 miles involve construction of new broadband facilities. 

    * Provide broadband access to approximately 24,000 community anchor institutions, including schools, libraries, government offices, health care facilities, and public safety entities.  Of these, approximately:

          o 3,000 are healthcare entities, including hospitals, clinics, and physicians’ offices

          o 5,000 are public safety entities, such as first responders, fire, police, and EMS

          o 7,000 are K-12 schools

          o 600 are community colleges

          o 2,000 are libraries

          o 5,000 are government facilities, such as City and County offices, workforce centers, Head Start locations, and other entities providing important benefits to the public

          o 700 are other institutions of higher education, including public universities

    * Deploy middle mile infrastructure in areas with nearly 40 million households and 4 million businesses, many of which will benefit from new or improved broadband service provided by last-mile providers that are able to utilize the new, open infrastructure to extend or upgrade their service for consumer and business customers. 

    * Invest in more than 3,500 new or upgraded public computer centers in libraries, schools, community centers and other public locations. 

    * Invest in more than 35,000 new or upgraded public computer workstations.

    * Make public computer center workstations and training available to more than 1 million new users.

These anticipated benefits will be realized over the life of each project, which must be substantially complete within two years and fully complete within three years. ( Bold added and in other words… let's be patient and give this a chance to work.)

According to analysis released by the National Economic Council last year, overall Recovery Act investments in broadband are expected to create tens of thousands of jobs in the near term and expand economic development and job opportunities in communities that would otherwise be left behind in the new knowledge-based economy.”

And once again, congratulations to all EDUCAUSE members who were awarded grants and are making it happen.