Distribution of Broadband Stimulus Grants and Loans: Applications and Awards

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA, P.L. 111-5) provided $7.2 billion primarily for broadband grant and loan programs to be administered by two separate agencies: the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) of the Department of Commerce (DOC) and the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The NTIA grant program is called the Broadband Technology Opportunity Program (BTOP). The RUS broadband grant and loan program is called the Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP).

As of October 1, 2010, all BTOP and BIP award announcements were complete. In total, NTIA and RUS announced awards for 553 projects, constituting $7.5 billion in federal funding. This included 233 BTOP projects (totaling $3.9 billion) and 320 BIP projects (totaling $3.6 billion). Of the $7.5 billion total announced, $6.2 billion was grant funding, and $1.3 billion was loan funding.

This report focuses on the distribution of ARRA broadband funding with respect to project category, broadband infrastructure technology deployed, and state-by-state distribution. Of all broadband infrastructure funding, about half was awarded to middle mile projects and half was awarded to last mile projects. Deployment of broadband infrastructure can encompass a number of different types of technologies, including fiber, wireless, cable modem, DSL, satellite, and others. Projects involving fiber accounted for about two-thirds of all infrastructure projects.

The 112th Congress is likely to provide oversight on NTIA and RUS efforts to monitor the funded projects. In the longer term, the FCC’s National Broadband Plan has recommended an expansion of federal funding for broadband deployment in unserved areas. To the extent that Congress may consider whether broadband grant and loan programs should be continued, modified, reduced, expanded, or eliminated, the funding patterns and trends that emerged during rounds one and two, as well as the ultimate successes and failures of funded BTOP and BIP projects, could provide insights into whether and how such programs might be addressed, and how these or similar programs might be fashioned within the context of a national broadband policy.

Distribution of Broadband Stimulus Grants and Loans: Applications and Awards

January 4, 2011 (R41164)

Summary

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA, P.L. 111-5) provided $7.2 billion primarily for broadband grant and loan programs to be administered by two separate agencies: the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) of the Department of Commerce (DOC) and the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The NTIA grant program is called the Broadband Technology Opportunity Program (BTOP). The RUS broadband grant and loan program is called the Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP).

As of October 1, 2010, all BTOP and BIP award announcements were complete. In total, NTIA and RUS announced awards for 553 projects, constituting $7.5 billion in federal funding. This included 233 BTOP projects (totaling $3.9 billion) and 320 BIP projects (totaling $3.6 billion). Of the $7.5 billion total announced, $6.2 billion was grant funding, and $1.3 billion was loan funding.

This report focuses on the distribution of ARRA broadband funding with respect to project category, broadband infrastructure technology deployed, and state-by-state distribution. Of all broadband infrastructure funding, about half was awarded to middle mile projects and half was awarded to last mile projects. Deployment of broadband infrastructure can encompass a number of different types of technologies, including fiber, wireless, cable modem, DSL, satellite, and others. Projects involving fiber accounted for about two-thirds of all infrastructure projects.

The 112th Congress is likely to provide oversight on NTIA and RUS efforts to monitor the funded projects. In the longer term, the FCC's National Broadband Plan has recommended an expansion of federal funding for broadband deployment in unserved areas. To the extent that Congress may consider whether broadband grant and loan programs should be continued, modified, reduced, expanded, or eliminated, the funding patterns and trends that emerged during rounds one and two, as well as the ultimate successes and failures of funded BTOP and BIP projects, could provide insights into whether and how such programs might be addressed, and how these or similar programs might be fashioned within the context of a national broadband policy.


Distribution of Broadband Stimulus Grants and Loans: Applications and Awards

Introduction

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA, P.L. 111-5) provided $7.2 billion primarily for broadband grant and loan programs to be administered by two separate agencies: the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) of the Department of Commerce (DOC) and the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

The ARRA directed broadband grant and loan funding in the following way:

  • $4.35 billion1 to NTIA/DOC for a competitive broadband grant program including broadband infrastructure grants, competitive grants for expanding public computer capacity, and grants to encourage sustainable adoption of broadband service. The NTIA grant program is called the Broadband Technology Opportunity Program (BTOP).
  • $2.5 billion to RUS/USDA for broadband grants, loans, and loan/grant combinations. The law states that 75% of the area to be served by an eligible project must be a rural area. A rural area is defined as any area not located within a city, town, or incorporated area that has a population of greater than 20,000 inhabitants; or not located within an urbanized area contiguous and adjacent to a city or town that has a population of greater than 50,000 inhabitants. The RUS broadband grant and loan program is called the Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP).

Subsequently, P.L. 111-226 (the education jobs and Medicaid funding bill), signed into law on August 10, 2010, rescinded $302 million of unobligated BTOP money from NTIA.

There were two rounds of ARRA broadband funding. The first funding round was announced with the release of a Notice of Funds Availability (NOFA) on July 1, 2009. The second funding round NOFAs were released on January 15, 2010. The ARRA mandated that all funding be obligated and awarded by September 30, 2010. As of October 1, 2010, all ARRA broadband funds have been awarded.

This report focuses on the distribution of ARRA broadband funding.2 The following presents a breakdown of applications and awards data as of October 1, 2010.

Applications

Round One

The first funding round was announced with the release of a Notice of Funds Availability (NOFA) on July 1, 2009. Broadband grants and loans fell into several first round project categories. For BTOP, projects could be:

  • last mile, defined as any broadband infrastructure project the predominant purpose of which is to provide broadband service to end users;
  • middle mile, defined as a broadband infrastructure project that does not predominantly provide broadband service to end users and may include interoffice transport, backhaul, Internet connectivity, or special access (up to $1.2 billion in grants available for infrastructure consisting of last mile and middle mile projects);
  • public computer centers, which provide broadband access to the general public or a specific vulnerable population (up to $50 million in grants available); or
  • sustainable broadband adoption, which demonstrate a sustainable increase in demand for and subscribership to broadband services (up to $150 million in grants available).

For BIP, projects could be:

  • last mile remote area, where "remote area" is a rural unserved area at least 50 miles from a nonrural area (up to $400 million in grants available);
  • last mile nonremote area (up to $800 million in loans and loan/grant combinations available); or
  • middle mile (up to $800 million in loans and loan/grant combinations available).

On September 9, 2009, NTIA and RUS released data on applications received during the first round application period. In total, over 2,200 applications requested nearly $28 billion in funding for proposed projects reaching all 50 states, five territories, and the District of Columbia. The total amount of federal funding requested was seven times the amount available in the first funding round.

Table 1 provides a breakdown of first round applications data with respect to program and project category.3

Table 1. Numbers of First Round Applications and Funds Requested by Project Category

 

Number of Applications

Funds Requested, grants, $billions

Funds Requested, loans, $billions

Funds Requested, grants plus loans, $billions

Last Mile (BTOP Only)

114

1.78

N/Aa

1.78

Last Mile Nonremote Area

646

4.76

3.94

8.70

Last Mile Remote Areab

406

2.59

1.25

3.84

Middle Mile

372

7.84

1.31

9.15

Public Computer Centers

362

1.91

N/A

1.91

Sustainable Broadband Adoption

329

2.49

N/A

2.49

Total

2,229

21.37

6.5

27.87

Source: Compiled by CRS from the Broadband USA Applications Database.

a. Not applicable.

b. Remote area applications are self-identified by applicants. The actual number of applications legitimately qualifying as "remote area" was less, as determined by RUS.

Round Two

On January 15, 2010, NTIA and RUS released NOFAs announcing the second and final round of ARRA broadband funding. A total of $4.8 billion was made available, consisting of $2.6 billion for BTOP and $2.2 billion for BIP. Based on the agencies' experiences with the first round, and drawing on public comments collected from a November 16, 2009, Joint Request for Information (RFI),4 both NTIA and RUS streamlined the application process and made significant changes to how the second round of BTOP and BIP would be structured and conducted. Highlights included the following:

  • Unlike the first round, each agency had its own separate NOFA, and applicants had the option of applying to either BTOP or BIP, but not to both.
  • NTIA/BTOP primarily focused on middle mile broadband infrastructure projects, while RUS/BIP focused primarily on last mile projects.
  • BTOP reoriented its infrastructure program towards Comprehensive Community Infrastructure (CCI) grants, which support middle mile projects serving anchor institutions such as community colleges, libraries, hospitals, universities, and public safety institutions.
  • BIP eliminated the "Remote Last Mile" project category, and offered a standard grant/loan combination (75% grant/25% loan) for all last mile and middle mile projects (unless waivers were sought).
  • The first round requirement that eligible infrastructure projects must cover "unserved" or "underserved" areas was eliminated. In the second round, BIP projects were required to cover an area that is at least 75% rural and that does not have High Speed Access broadband service at the rate of 5 Mbps (upstream and downstream combined) in at least 50% of its area. Eligible BTOP projects required only an applicant that is an eligible entity, a fully completed application, and a nonfederal match of 20% or more. However, during the application evaluation, factors such as unserved and underserved areas, remoteness, and delivered speed were considered.
  • BIP added three new grant programs: Satellite Projects, Rural Library Broadband, and Technical Assistance. RUS published a separate Request for Proposals for each of these programs.

On April 7, 2010, NTIA announced it had received 867 applications for second round funding, totaling $11 billion in requested federal funding. The applications broke down as follows: 355 applications requesting a total of $8.4 billion for Comprehensive Community Infrastructure, 251 applications requesting $1.7 billion for Sustainable Broadband Adoption, and 261 applications requesting $0.922 billion for Public Computer Centers.5

On April 16, 2010, RUS announced it had received a total of 776 applications requesting nearly $11.2 billion in federal funds. Of that total, RUS received 30 middle mile applications requesting a total of $845.88 million.

Combined, NTIA and RUS received 1643 applications in the second round, requesting a total of $22.2 billion in federal funds. This is 26% less than the number of applications received by both agencies in the first round, and 21% less than the amount of federal funding requested in the first round.

Additionally, on August 30, 2010, RUS announced it received 27 applications for Satellite Projects, 51 applications for Technical Assistance, and 2 applications for Rural Library Broadband.6

Awards

As of October 1, 2010, all BTOP and BIP award announcements were complete. In total, NTIA and RUS announced awards for 553 projects,7 constituting $7.5 billion in federal funding. This included 233 BTOP projects (totaling $3.9 billion) and 320 BIP projects (totaling $3.6 billion). Of the $7.5 billion total announced, $6.2 billion was grant funding, and $1.3 billion was loan funding.

The following is a breakdown of awards data by project category and program, broadband technology deployed, and state-by-state distribution of funding. Awards data are derived from NTIA and RUS press releases, BTOP project information,8 the BIP Round Two Application Directory,9 BIP awards reporting publications,10 and the Broadband USA applications database.11

Breakdown by Project Category and Program

Table 2 and Table 3 provide breakdowns of awards data by project category and program. Of all broadband infrastructure funding, about half (51%) was awarded to middle mile projects (includes Comprehensive Community Initiative and public safety grants), and 49% was awarded to last mile projects (includes satellite grants). Middle mile projects are predominantly (but not exclusively) BTOP, while last mile projects are predominantly BIP. Given that only BIP offered loan funding, it is not surprising that the vast majority of loan funding (93%) was awarded to last mile projects.

Table 2. Broadband Stimulus Awards by Project Category

 

Program

Number of Projects

Federal Funds Awarded, grants, $millions

Federal Funds Awarded, loans, $millions

Federal Funds Awarded, grants plus loans, $millions

Comprehensive Community Infrastructure

BTOP

68

2091.708

0

2091.708

Middle Mile

BTOP and BIP

54

1049.464

95.957

1145.421

Last Mile (2nd round)

BIP

229

1627.928

821.744

2449.673

Last Mile Nonremote Area

BIP and BTOP

56

405.783

393.67

799.453

Last Mile Remote Area

BIP

13

149.924

11.206

161.13

Public Safety

BTOP

7

382.464

0

382.464

Satellite

BIP

4

100.0

0

100.0

Public Computer Centers

BTOP

66

201.016

0

201.016

Sustainable Broadband Adoption

BTOP

44

250.741

0

250.741

Source: Compiled and calculated by CRS from NTIA and RUS press releases, BTOP project information, the BIP Round Two Application Directory, and the Broadband USA Applications Database. Data current as of October 1, 2010.

Table 3. Percentage of Broadband Awards by Project Category

 

Percentage of funded projects

Percentage of grant funding awarded

Percentage of loan funding awarded

Percentage of total funding awarded

Comprehensive Community Infrastructure

12.6%

33.4%

0%

27.6%

Middle Mile

10%

16.7%

7.2%

15.1%

Last Mile (2nd round)

42.4%

26.0%

62.1%

32.3%

Last Mile Nonremote Area

10.4%

6.5%

29.8%

10.5%

Last Mile Remote Area

2.4%

2.4%

0.8%

2.1%

Public Safety

1.3%

6.1%

0%

5.0%

Satellite

0.7%

1.6%

0%

1.3%

Public Computer Centers

12.2%

3.2%

0%

2.6%

Sustainable Broadband Adoption

8.1%

4.0%

0%

3.3%

Total

100%

100%

100%

100%

Source: Compiled and calculated by CRS from NTIA and RUS press releases, BTOP project information, the BIP Round Two Application Directory, and the Broadband USA Applications Database. Data current as of October 1, 2010.

Breakdown by Type of Technology

Deployment of broadband infrastructure can encompass a number of different types of technologies, including fiber, wireless, cable modem, DSL, satellite, and others. Table 4 shows that of all infrastructure projects funded, 56% are fiber projects. Additionally, given that most of the projects involving multiple technologies involve a deployment of both fiber and wireless technologies, it would be accurate to state that projects involving fiber account for about two-thirds of all infrastructure projects. Of last mile project technologies, 47% are fiber, 23% are DSL, 17% are wireless, 6% are multiple, 3% are cable modem, 1% are satellite, and the rest were unable to be determined from the public information that was released.

Table 4. Infrastructure Projects by Type of Technology

Technology

Number of awarded projects

Percentage of total infrastructure projects

Fiber

221

56%

Wireless

60

15%

DSL

69

18%

Cable modem

10

3%

Satellite

4

1%

Multiplea

28

7%

Source: Compiled and calculated by CRS from NTIA and RUS press releases, BTOP project information, the BIP Round Two Application Directory, and the Broadband USA Applications Database. Data current as of October 1, 2010.

a. Primarily combinations of fiber + wireless broadband technologies.

State-by-State Breakdowns

Table A-1 in the Appendix shows a state-by-state breakdown of BTOP and BIP funding, while Table A-2 shows per capita funding by state. Funding is associated with a state based on the service area covered by the project. For BTOP grants, amounts shown may include the NTIA-estimated per-State share of any awards that impact multiple states. Table A-3 lists both NTIA and RUS multistate awards.

BTOP and BIP: Going Forward

With the broadband awards process concluded, NTIA and RUS move towards monitoring and overseeing the progression of the funded projects. Projects must be substantially completed12 within two years and fully completed within three years. In its FY2011 budget proposal, the Administration requested $23.7 million for NTIA to continue operating its grant management office. The Continuing Appropriations and Surface Transportation Extension Act, 2011 (P.L. 111-322), which funds the federal government through March 4, 2011, includes a $20 million addition to the Salaries and Expenses account which can be used for BTOP oversight. Meanwhile, NTIA has awarded a $5 million, four-year contract to Potomac, MD-based ASR Analytics to measure the impact of BTOP grants on broadband availability, adoption, and on economic and social conditions in areas served by grantees.13 Funding for the award was obtained through the Department of Interior's National Business Center.

The 112th Congress is likely to provide oversight on NTIA and RUS efforts to monitor the funded projects. In the longer term, the FCC's National Broadband Plan has recommended an expansion of federal funding for broadband deployment in unserved areas.14 To the extent that Congress may consider whether broadband grant and loan programs should be continued, modified, reduced, expanded, or eliminated, the funding patterns and trends that emerged during rounds one and two, as well as the ultimate successes and failures of funded BTOP and BIP projects, could provide insights into whether and how such programs might be addressed, and how these or similar programs might be fashioned within the context of a national broadband policy.

Appendix.

Table A-1. State-by-State Distribution of All BTOP, SBDD, and BIP Awards

 

Number of Awards

Total Amount of Grants and Loans ($millions)

CA

29

444.3

KY

20

315.0

TX

32

312.8

NC

18

278.6

OK

27

277.6

MO

20

263.5

MI

18

245.7

WA

17

244.3

MN

29

242.3

IL

18

239.6

TN

16

233.9

PA

13

215.9

National awards

7

206.0

OH

20

202.4

LA

10

189.8

NM

17

184.5

WV

10

184.3

VT

7

174.0

WI

23

171.4

GA

17

170.7

IA

20

166.9

NY

20

160.7

VA

16

154.5

CO

13

146.5

KS

14

144.9

AL

15

142.5

AK

9

138.8

MT

8

133.4

AR

8

128.5

MS

10

127.3

FL

13

126.5

MD

6

125.0

AZ

14

113.0

CT

2

97.6

ND

11

96.1

MA

9

94.5

AS

2

92.9

VI

4

67.5

NV

12

66.7

IN

10

63.5

NH

7

54.5

SD

8

53.4

OR

15

52.7

NJ

3

49.7

UT

9

48.9

SC

7

45.4

ME

7

42.6

PR

3

41.1

HI

5

40.4

NE

6

31.6

ID

13

30.5

DC

4

27.2

RI

3

24.9

WY

3

14.8

GU

2

7.5

DE

2

5.0

MP

2

3.4

Source: NTIA, The Broadband Technology Opportunities Program: Expanding Broadband Access and Adoption in Communities Across America, Overview of Grant Awards, December 2010, available at http://www.ntia.doc.gov/reports/2010/NTIA_Report_on_BTOP_12142010.pdf.

Notes: Amounts shown may include the NTIA-estimated per-State share of any awards that impact multiple states. For BIP grants and loans, multistate awards (except for the satellite grants) have been split and categorized as separate state-specific awards by RUS, Table A-3 lists both NTIA and RUS multistate awards. BTOP totals include the $293 million in State Broadband Data & Development (SBDD) grants distributed to each of the 50 states, five territories, and the District of Columbia.

a. Two SBA and one CCI project.

b. Four BIP satellite projects.

Table A-2. State-by-State Per Capita
Distribution of BTOP and BIP Awards

Principal state or project area

Grants + Loans Announced ($millions)

Population (July 1, 2009)

Federal funding per capita ($)

Vermont

174.0

621,760

279.85

Alaska

138.8

698,473

198.72

North Dakota

96.1

646,844

148.57

Montana

133.4

974,989

136.82

West Virginia

184.3

1,819,777

101.28

New Mexico

184.5

2,009,671

91.81

Oklahoma

277.6

3,687,050

75.29

Kentucky

315.0

4,314,113

73.02

South Dakota

53.4

812,383

65.73

Iowa

166.9

3,007,856

55.49

Kansas

144.9

2,818,747

51.41

Minnesota

242.3

5,266,214

46.01

District of Columbia

27.2

599,657

45.36

Arkansas

128.5

2,889,450

44.47

Missouri

263.5

5,987,580

44.01

Mississippi

127.3

2,951,996

43.12

Louisiana

189.8

4,492,076

42.25

New Hampshire

54.5

1,324,575

41.15

Tennessee

233.9

6,296,254

37.15

Washington

244.3

6,664,195

36.66

Maine

42.6

1,318,301

32.31

Hawaii

40.4

1,295,178

31.19

Wisconsin

171.4

5,654,774

30.31

Alabama

142.5

4,708,708

30.26

North Carolina

278.6

9,380,884

29.70

Colorado

146.5

5,024,748

29.16

Connecticut

97.6

3,518,288

27.74

Wyoming

14.8

544,270

27.19

Nevada

66.7

2,643,085

25.24

Michigan

245.7

9,969,727

24.64

Rhode Island

24.9

1,053,209

23.64

Maryland

125.0

5,699,478

21.93

Idaho

30.5

1,545,801

19.73

Virginia

154.5

7,882,590

19.60

Illinois

239.6

12,910,409

18.56

Nebraska

31.6

1,796,619

17.59

Utah

48.9

2,784,572

17.56

Ohio

202.4

11,542,645

17.53

Georgia

170.7

9,829,211

17.37

Arizona

113.0

6,595,778

17.13

Pennsylvania

215.9

12,604,767

17.13

Massachusetts

94.5

6,593,587

14.33

Oregon

52.7

3,825,657

13.78

Texas

312.8

24,782,302

12.62

California

444.3

36,961,664

12.02

South Carolina

45.4

4,561,242

9.95

Indiana

63.5

6,423,113

9.89

New York

160.7

19,541,453

8.22

Florida

126.5

18,537,969

6.82

New Jersey

49.7

8,707,739

5.71

Delaware

5.0

885,122

5.65

Source: Compiled and calculated by CRS from The Broadband Technology Opportunities Program: Expanding Broadband Access and Adoption in Communities Across America, Overview of Grant Awards. Population data is from National and State Population Estimates, U.S. Census Bureau.

Table A-3. Projects With Multistate Service Areas

Awardee

Program

Type of Project

Award ($millions)

Service Area

Appalachian Valley Fiber Network

BTOP

CCI

21.286

GA, AL

Arizona Nevada Tower Corp

BIP

middle mile

7.73

NV, CA

Bloosurf, LLC

BIP

last mile

3.2

MD, DE, VA

Cascade Networks

BIP

last mile

3.73

WA, OR

Communication Service for the Deaf

BTOP

SBA

14.988

nationwide

Convergence Technologies

BIP

last mile

13.54

IL, IN

Deposit Telephone Co.

BIP

last mile

3.143

NY, PA

Echostar

BIP

satellite

14.159

Eastern and Midwestern U.S.

ENMR Telephone Coop

BTOP

CCI

16.46

NM, TX

ENMR Telephone Cooperative

BTOP

middle mile

11.25

NM, TX

Grand River Mutual Telephone

BIP

last mile

20.27

IA, MO

Highland Telephone Coop

BIP

last mile

66.489

TN, KY

Hughes Network Systems

BIP

satellite

58.777

nationwide

ION Hold Co.

BTOP

middle mile

39.7

NY, PA, VT

Island Telephone & Engineering

BTOP

middle mile

8.039

GU, MP

Medicine Park Telephone Co.

BIP

middle mile

2.657

OK, TX

Merit Network, Inc.

BTOP

CCI

69.639

MI, MN, WI

Mid-Hudson Cablevision

BIP

last mile

3.473

NY, MA

Mission Economic Development Agency

BTOP

PCC

3.724

CA, AZ, CO, ID, MD, MN, MO, NM, PA, TX

Navajo Tribal Utility Authority

BTOP

middle mile

32.19

AZ, NM, UT

One Economy

BTOP

SBA

28.5

31 states and the District of Columbia

OneCommunity

BTOP

SBA

18.70

OH, FL, KY, MI, MS

OSHEAN Inc.

BTOP

CCI

21.739

RI, MA

Peetz Cooperative Telephone Co.

BIP

remote last mile

1.5

CO, NE

Portland State University

BTOP

SBA

3.318

OR, CA, LA, MN, NY, TX

Quincy Telephone Co.

BIP

last mile

1.363

FL, GA

Red River Rural Telephone Assn

BIP

last mile

9.088

ND, MN

Reservation Telephone Cooperative

BIP

nonremote last mile

21.9

ND, MT

Silver Star Telephone Co.

BTOP

CCI

5.063

WY, ID

Skyline Telephone

BIP

last mile

28.984

NC, TN

Southeast Mississippi Telephone

BIP

last mile

1.875

MS, AL

Spacenet

BIP

satellite

7.53

AK, HI

Totah Communications

BIP

nonremote last mile

8.51

OK, KS

University Corporation for Advanced Internet Development

BTOP

CCI

62.54

nationwide

Vermont Telephone Co.

BTOP

CCI

12.256

VT, NH, NY

West Kentucky Rural Telephone

BIP

last mile

123.8

KY, TN

West Virgina PCS Alliance

BIP

last mile

3.268

PA, MD, WV

Wildblue Communications

BIP

satellite

19.533

Western and Midwestern U.S.

Windstream Corp.

BIP

last mile

6.94

GA, NC

Winnebago Cooperative Telecom

BIP

last mile

19.632

IA, MN

Zerodivide

BTOP

SBA

1.384

CA, HI, NM, OR, UT, WA

Zito Media Communications

BTOP

middle mile

6.137

OH, PA

Source: Compiled by CRS from NTIA and RUS press releases, BTOP project information, the BIP Round Two Application Directory, and the Broadband USA Applications Database. Awards announced as of October 1, 2010.

Footnotes

1.

Additionally, the ARRA directed $350 million to NTIA for funding broadband data gathering and implementation of the State Broadband Data and Development Grant program. A portion of this money was also allocated to the Federal Communications Commission for the purpose of preparing a National Broadband Plan. Both the state data grant program and the development of the National Broadband Plan are separate activities and are not discussed in this report.

2.

For a comprehensive discussion of the ARRA broadband programs, see CRS Report R40436, Broadband Infrastructure Programs in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, by [author name scrubbed].

3.

A searchable database is available at http://www.ntia.doc.gov/broadbandgrants/applications/search.cfm.

4.

Department of Agriculture, Rural Utilities Service and Department of Commerce, National Telecommunications and Information Administration, "Broadband Initiatives Program and Broadband Technology Opportunities Program," 74 Federal Register 58940-58944, November 16, 2009.

5.

NTIA, "Commerce Announced Continued Demand for Funding to Bring Broadband to More Americans," April 7, 2010, available at http://www.ntia.doc.gov/press/2010/BTOP_Round2Applications_04072010.html.

6.

For a complete listing, see directory at http://broadbandusa.sc.egov.usda.gov/BIPportal/files/BIP_Sat_TA_RLB_App_Directory.pdf.

7.

Not including BTOP's State Broadband Data & Development grants (56 awards totaling $293 million to each of the 50 states, territories, and the District of Columbia).

8.

Available at http://www.ntia.doc.gov/broadbandgrants/projects.html.

9.

Available at http://broadbandusa.sc.egov.usda.gov/BIPportal/files/Broadband-R2%20SEARCHABLE%20PDFwPNR-2010-06-01.pdf.

10.

USDA, Rural Development and the Recovery Act: Working for Rural Communities, October 20, 2010, 44 p., available at http://www.usda.gov/documents/USDA_ARRA_AnnualReport_10192010.pdf; and USDA Broadband Initiatives Program Awarded Projects, October 15, 2010, 97 p., available at http://broadbandusa.sc.egov.usda.gov/files/BIP%20Round%201%20and%20Round%202%20Awardees.pdf. BIP publications reflect data as of September 30, 2010 and is subject to revision by USDA.

11.

Available at http://www.ntia.doc.gov/broadbandgrants/applications/search.cfm.

12.

"Substantially completed" means that awardees have met 67% of their milestones and received 67% of their funding.

13.

Communications Daily, "BIP Disbursements Totaled $3.5 Billion Metrics Concerns Expressed," October 21, 2010.

14.

The National Broadband Plan recommends expanding combination grant-loan programs at RUS, expanding the RUS Community Connect grant program, establishing a Tribal Broadband Fund, and significantly reorienting the FCC's Universal Service Fund program to support broadband. See Federal Communications Commission, Connecting America: The National Broadband Plan, March 2010, pp. 140-152.