More broadband talk...

I blogged months ago about the $7.2B in ARRA 'stimulus' funding to expand broadband connectivity around the country. I wanted to touch on another recent development. The FCC is asking for public comment on cost estimates to connect 'anchor institutions' to fiber.

In the linked public comment notice, there's an appendix that shows a presentation that the Gates Foundation gave to FCC representatives. The Gates Foundation has several areas of focus. One of those areas has been the improvement of Internet connectivity to public libraries.

There's much to consider and I haven't had time to process it all, but it certainly isn't lost on me that the term "anchor institutions" is being floated around by different groups at the federal level, with public schools squarely in definition of this. E-Rate Central speculates the following:

This could be a hint that the FCC is focusing on the role of schools and libraries, particularly in rural areas, to support wider broadband connectivity. If so, this would probably require changes to the E-rate program.

The questions the FCC has in their notice are certainly an effort to clarify or validate some of the assumptions that are being made about the connectivity needs. There is an assumption that 80% of these anchor institutions lack fiber. I would assume this NOT to be the case in KY K-12, though E-Rate funds are heavily relied upon to subsidize the cost of fiber connectivity. Also, when thinking of that fact, I'm hopeful that comments are made related to question 7:

Should operating expenses be a consideration when calculating cost for connecting anchor institutions to fiber? What operating expenses would be associated with running these networks, and how would those vary by type of institution and geography?

Of course, these comments may be related to operating costs of the service provider. Whatever the result, the "anchor institution" will want an affordable option for fiber-based connectivity. Many of Kentucky's current options are affordable only because of the federal E-Rate program, so I'll be interested to see how all of this shakes out.

Broadband funding and ARRA

After several mentions by school districts and by our leadership on today's webcast, I've decided to take a few minutes to sift through the details of a $7.2B program that is part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).

The biggest question I get from school districts is "can I apply" or "how can this money help me". Maybe we'll get to the bottom of this as I hit some highlights:

Of the $7.2B, $2.5B is related to RUS and BIP and $4.7B is related to NTIA and BTOP. Now, let's dissect the alphabet soup - RUS is the Rural Utilities Service, BIP is the Broadband Initiatives Program, NTIA is the National Telecommunications and Information Administration and BTOP is the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program. Clear as mud? Well, it's a bit easier to think of these acronyms in pairs. RUS and BIP go together, as do NTIA and BTOP.

The document with all of the details is the formal notice of funds availability. Any info below will come from this document...

RUS and BIP - To quote from this document directly

The Recovery Act appropriates $2.5 billion of budget authority for RUS to extend loans, loan/ grant combinations, and grants to projects where at least 75 percent of an RUS-funded area is in a rural area that lacks sufficient access to high speed broadband service to facilitate rural economic development. RUS has developed BIP to fund broadband infrastructure in qualifying areas.

This might explain why our state webcast today discussed working with qualifying entities. These funds are targeted at entities to build out the infrastructure. Obviously, school districts could take advantage of this. It's probably in more of an indirect fashion than some have visualized.

NTIA and BTOP - Again, quoting the funds availability document

The Recovery Act also appropriates $4.7 billion to NTIA to provide grants for broadband initiatives throughout the United States, including unserved and underserved areas.12 NTIA is tasked to spur job creation, stimulate long-term economic growth and opportunity, and narrow gaps in broadband deployment and adoption. The NTIA program is titled BTOP. Consistent with its appropriation, BTOP is divided into three categories of projects: Broadband Infrastructure, Public Computer Centers, and Sustainable Broadband Adoption.

This seems a bit more interesting, but we need to know more about the categories of BTOP and any other qualifiers. One of BTOP's stated objectives is of particular interest to school districts:

To provide broadband access, education, awareness, training, equipment, and support to community anchor institutions (e.g., schools, libraries, medical facilities), or organizations and agencies serving vulnerable populations (e.g., low-income, unemployed, aged), or job-creating strategic facilities located in state- or federally designated economic development areas

This is where, again, school districts are encouraged to work with providers to make them aware of their need of being connected. Without making this blog entry much longer, other facts in the funds document about BTOP are (1) all applicants must propose to offer broadband service, (2) awardees under BTOP must provide matching funds of at least 20 percent of the total project cost and (3) grant recipients are expected to present projects that will sustain long-term growth and viability.

Suffice to say that these applications appear to be geared toward service providers, though our school districts need to be aware of the opportunity that this may present by touching base with local providers to discuss your needs, etc.