[1st-mile-nm] NTIA Broadband Stimulus Funding Cut By $302 Million

[Richard Lowenberg]

NTIA Broadband Stimulus Funding Cut By $302 Million

Amount rescinded to help free up money to pay teachers

By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 8/11/2010

www.broadcastingcable.com/article/455927-NTIA_Broadband_Stimulus_Funding_Cut_By_302_Million.php?rssid=20065

The National Telecommunications & Information Administration will have  
$302 million less in broadband stimulus grant money to give out by the  
end of next month, about 10% of what it still has left to hand out in  
the next six weeks.

That comes after that amount was rescinded from the BTOP (Broadband  
Technology Opportunities Program) to help free up money to pay teachers.

NTIA is giving out $4.7 billion in grant money for broadband  
deployment and adoption. It is in the second round of funding and has  
to finish giving out the money by the end of next month. As of July 2,  
NTIA had given out 113 grants totaling approximately $1.6 billion, so  
it has more than $3 billion to give out by its Sept. 30 statutory  
deadline.

House members returned this week to pass HR 1586, which will help pay  
for potentially hundreds of thousands of education jobs that were at  
risk in cash-strapped state budgets as the new school year approached,  
according to the House Education and Labor Committee. Congress is not  
slated to return until mid-September, after most school bells would  
have rung in the new academic year.

NTIA was just one of many agencies to have to take a cut in funds to  
help pay the teachers. Others having to share the load included the  
Departments of Defense and Agriculture, the Park Service, and  
ironically, the Department of Education.

The bill was passed Tuesday and signed by the president. The White  
House says the bill prevented up to 160,000 teacher layoffs.

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The NTIA BTOP is currently expected (not certain) to make a  
substantial number of award announcements next week.
There are about 15 NM projects that applied for Round Two BTOP  
funding.    Stay tuned.      RL


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