[1st-mile-nm] RUS BIP Awards

[Richard Lowenberg]

New Mexico

?             Western New Mexico Telephone Company, Broadband Infrastructure
Project: $11,516,679 grant.  The funding will provide last mile broadband
services to remote and unserved locations and critical community facilities
throughout Western New Mexico.

?             Baca Valley Telephone Company, Inc.: $1,651,000 loan and
$1,586,000 grant.  The funding will expand fiber optics to Digital Subscriber
Line (DSL) nodes in rural Northeastern New Mexico, replacing outdated
deteriorating copper wire and low bandwidth microwave transport systems in some
areas, while providing new connectivity in others, and enabling advanced,
high-speed DSL service throughout the area.

 ----------

Contact:
USDA Office of Communications
(202) 720-0698

AGRICULTURE SECRETARY VILSACK ANNOUNCES RURAL BROADBAND PROJECTS TO BRING
ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY TO COMMUNITIES IN NINE STATES
Filing Period For Round Two of Broadband Applications Opens This Week


                WASHINGTON, February 17, 2010 ? Agriculture Secretary Tom
Vilsack today announced the selection of eleven Broadband Infrastructure
projects to enable rural residents in nine states to have access to improved
economic and educational opportunities. Funding for the projects is being
provided through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which was signed
into law by President Obama a year ago today.  Additionally, USDA and The
Department of Commerce?s National Telecommunications and Information
Administration (NTIA) have announced that a second filing window for broadband
applications opened this week.

                ?The broadband projects we?re announcing today will create
construction jobs now to build high speed Internet networks in unserved and
under-served communities. Deployment of broadband will support job creation and
rural economic development,? Vilsack said. ?The Obama Administration and
USDA are bringing broadband to rural America so that Americans can compete in a
global 21st Century economy.  We are opening new opportunities not only for
homes and businesses, but for community institutions such as health facilities,
libraries, public buildings and community centers.?

                In rural Kentucky, for example, the Mountain Rural Telephone
Cooperative Corporation (MRTCC) has been selected to receive a $39.8 million
loan and a $38.3 million grant to deploy a fiber cable-based broadband network
in the counties of Morgan, Menifee, Wolfe, and Elliott.  All four counties are
considered ?distressed? by the Appalachian Regional Commission, and are
challenged by mountainous terrain and limited highway and rail infrastructure. 
MRTCC will bring broadband access to these counties to enhance economic and
educational opportunities for residents and employers.

In rural Minnesota, the Southwest Minnesota Broadband Group (SWMBG) has been
selected to receive an almost $6.4 million loan and a $6.4 million grant to
extend fiber to the Jackson, Lakefield, Windom, Round Lake, Bingham Lake,
Brewster, Wilder, Heron Lake, and Okabena communities.  This funding, along
with an $88,000 private investment, will provide high-speed Internet, voice,
and cable television to the participating communities.  This will improve the
quality of life by increasing the availability of health, education, and public
safety services across the region.

In all, over $277 million will be invested in the 11 projects through funding
made available by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.  An additional
$1.6 million in private investment will be provided in matching funds. 
Congress provided USDA $2.5 billion in Recovery Act funding to help bring
broadband services to rural un-served and underserved communities.

Funding of individual recipients is contingent upon their meeting the terms of
the loan,   grant or loan/grant agreement. Below is a complete list of recent
Recovery Act Broadband award recipients by state:

Indiana
Smithville Telephone Company, Inc.: $37,729,143 loan.  The funding will provide
3,815 households, 209 businesses, and 12 community anchor institutions with
access to broadband service.

Iowa
Southeast Iowa Rural Wireless Broadband: $3,836,926 loan.  The funding will
provide Internet services to 80 rural communities using proven wireless
technology.

Kentucky
Mountain Rural Telephone Cooperative Corporation (MRTCC) ILEC Broadband:
$39,843,535 loan and $38,281,044 grant.  The funding will provide fiber to
Morgan, Menifee, Wolfe, and Elliott counties that will result in 20 Mbps
bandwidth to end users.

Louisiana
Allen's Cable ? Fiber-to-the-Premises (FTTP) Broadband Network Extension:
$3,584,680 loan and $3,513,697 grant.  The funding will extend fiber into rural
areas of three South Louisiana Parishes.

LBH, LLC, - Rural Broadband Powered by Fiber: $16,693,439 loan and $16,691,939
grant.  The funding will expand existing broadband into rural areas around Moss
Bluff, Oakdale, and Vinton.

Minnesota
Southwest Minnesota Broadband Group (SWMBG): $6,350,000 loan and $6,350,250
grant.  The funding will provide service to eight rural communities throughout
Southwest Minnesota.

Missouri
Unionville, Missouri FTTP Project: $5,140,458 loan and $5,140,458 grant.  The
funding will provide broadband services to households, businesses, and key
community organizations that are currently underserved in the Unionville area.

New Mexico
Western New Mexico Telephone Company, Broadband Infrastructure Project:
$11,516,679 grant.  The funding will provide last mile broadband services to
remote and unserved locations and critical community facilities throughout
Western New Mexico.

Baca Valley Telephone Company, Inc.: $1,651,000 loan and $1,586,000 grant.  The
funding will expand fiber optics to Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) nodes in
rural Northeastern New Mexico, replacing outdated deteriorating copper wire and
low bandwidth microwave transport systems in some areas, while providing new
connectivity in others, and enabling advanced, high-speed DSL service
throughout the area.

Oregon
Sandy Broadband Infrastructure Project: $374,548 loan and $374,537 grant.  The
funding will provide broadband service to the underserved rural area of Sandy
by improving and expanding wireless Internet service.

Texas
Southern Texas Broadband Infrastructure Development and Adoption Project:
$40,093,153 loan and $38,520,868 grant.  The funding will develop a broadband
infrastructure in eleven unserved and underserved rural communities of the
South Texas Plains.

USDA is continuing to review broadband applications currently on file and
expects to make additional announcements concerning awards throughout the
current fiscal year.  Additionally, The Department of Commerce?s National
Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and the Department of
Agriculture?s Rural Utilities Service (RUS) on Tuesday began accepting
applications for a second round of broadband grants.  Applications will be
accepted until March 15, 2010 at 5 p.m. ET.

The application packages for electronic submissions is available at
http://www.broadbandusa.gov.  Electronic submissions of applications will allow
for the expeditious review of an Applicant?s proposal, consistent with the
goals of the Recovery Act. The government electronic application system will
provide a date and time stamped confirmation number that will serve as proof of
submission. The Recovery Act provided a total of $7.2 billion to the Department
of Commerce and to USDA to accelerate broadband deployment in areas of the
country that have been without the high-speed infrastructure.

You may obtain additional information regarding applications via the Internet at
http://www.broadbandusa.gov.

President Obama signed The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 into
law on Feb. 17, 2009.  It is designed to jumpstart the nation's economy, create
or save millions of jobs, and put a down payment on addressing long-neglected
challenges so our country can thrive in the 21st century.  The Act includes
measures to modernize our nation's infrastructure, enhance energy independence,
expand educational opportunities, preserve and improve affordable health care,
provide tax relief, and protect those in greatest need.

More information about USDA's Recovery Act efforts is available at
www.usda.gov/recovery . More information about the Federal government's efforts
on the Recovery Act is available at www.recovery.gov .

#

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender. To file a complaint
of discrimination, write: USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400
Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (800) 795-3272
(voice), or (202) 720-6382 (TDD).

______________________________
Erin Hannigan
Office of Congressional Relations
United States Department of Agriculture
202.720.7095


-- 
Richard Lowenberg
1st-Mile Institute
P.O. Box 8001, Santa Fe, NM 87504
505-989-9110;   505-603-5200 cell
rl at 1st-mile.com  www.1st-mile.com

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