NTIA and RUS announce second round of broadband grants
On January 15, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) announced the availability of $4.8 billion of funding for grants and loans to expand broadband access and adoption in America. This is the second round of funding that was allotted as part of the 2009 economic stimulus bill.
In two separate Notices of Funds Availabilities, NTIA and RUS modified the rules from the first round of funding, which was released in 2009. The recipients of most of the grants from the first round - for both NTIA and RUS - have not yet been announced.
NTIA will award $2.6 billion in funding for the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program, which funds primarily infrastructure projects. In their statement, NTIA says it will prioritize "middle mile broadband projects that connect key community anchor institutions - such as libraries, hospitals, community colleges, universities, and public safety institutions."
RUS will hand out the additional $2.2 billion as part of the Broadband Initiatives Program. For this round of funding, RUS plans to focus on last mile projects, which it will fund 75 percent by grants and 25 percent as a loan. All projects will bring broadband access in remote rural areas that were either un-served or underserved in the past.
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