[1st-mile-nm] NM Supplemental Broadband Mapping and Planning Award

[Harold Skow]

Yeah!!!!! 
 
Elrena please put this on the IT summit agenda for presentation.
 
Join Us for the Navajo Nation Dept. of Information Technology
IT Summit 2010
at Buffalo Thunder Resort & Casino on November 15- 18
www.nnits.navajo-nsn.gov
 
Harold Skow
Director of Information Technology
Navajo Nation
Window Rock, AZ 86515
928-871-6520 x6002
928-587-3065 (cell)
 
haroldskow at navajo.org <mailto:haroldskow at navajo.org> 
www.navajo.org

________________________________

From: 1st-mile-nm-bounces at mailman.dcn.org on behalf of Richard Lowenberg
Sent: Tue 9/28/2010 9:00 AM
To: 1st-mile-nm at mailman.dcn.org
Subject: [1st-mile-nm] NM Supplemental Broadband Mapping and Planning Award




Congratulations to the NM Department of Information Technology (DoIT), which was just awarded $2,876,905 from the NTIA towards supplemental Broadband Mapping and Development activities.  

www.ntia.doc.gov/press/2010/BTOP_SBDD_09272010.html




IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 27, 2010

News Media Contact:
Moira Vahey, (202) 482-0147, mvahey at ntia.doc.gov

COMMERCE'S NTIA ANNOUNCES FINAL RECOVERY ACT INVESTMENTS FOR STATE-DRIVEN BROADBAND ACTIVITIES

WASHINGTON - The Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) today announced 56 investments totaling $190 million to support state efforts to compete in the digital economy. These are the final awards in the State Broadband Data and Development (SBDD) grant program, funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

"As Congress recognized, many communities are being left behind in the 21st Century economy and need improved broadband access and adoption to compete," said Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information and NTIA Administrator Lawrence E. Strickling. "Each state has unique broadband challenges, and these investments will support solutions developed by the states to harness the power of technology so that local businesses can thrive and residents can enjoy a better quality of life."

The 50 states, five territories, and the District of Columbia will use this funding to support the efficient and creative use of broadband technology to improve their economies. These state-created efforts vary depending on local needs but include programs to assist small businesses and community institutions in using technology more effectively, research to investigate barriers to broadband adoption, innovative applications that increase access to government services and information, and state and local task forces to expand broadband access and adoption.  

As examples of these diverse state-driven projects:

Massachusetts will provide technical assistance to small businesses and non-profit organizations to help them improve operations through broadband and technology use.

Pennsylvania plans to research barriers to the use of broadband by manufacturers and to examine the impact of broadband use on the competiveness of this sector.

In Florida, technology teams will provide hardware and network assessments to public libraries, enabling them to provide faster and more reliable Internet service to the public.

Arkansas plans to expand online county government services, particularly in rural communities, allowing residents to access these services from their homes.  

Colorado plans to organize a state-wide broadband task force to promote the growth of distance learning and to implement and assess the impact of several pilot projects.  

North Carolina will leverage years of experience to expand its broadband planning teams into more communities, driving broadband- and technology-based economic development.

Launched in 2009, NTIA's State Broadband Data and Development grant program implements the joint purposes of the Recovery Act and the Broadband Data Improvement Act (BDIA), which envisioned a comprehensive program, led by state entities or non-profit organizations working at their direction, to facilitate the integration of broadband and information technology into state and local economies. Economic development, energy efficiency, and advances in education and health care rely not only on broadband infrastructure, but also on the knowledge and tools to leverage that infrastructure.

Since accurate data is critical for broadband planning, another purpose of the grant program is to assist states in gathering data twice a year on the availability, speed, and location of broadband services, as well as the broadband services that community institutions, such as schools, libraries and hospitals, use. This data will be used by NTIA to update a searchable, interactive national broadband map once it is completed by the agency by February 17, 2011. NTIA originally funded state data collection and validation efforts for a two-year period; with today's announcement, grantees will be able to continue these efforts for an additional three years.

The Recovery Act provided up to $350 million for implementation of the BDIA and to develop and maintain the national broadband map. All 56 states, territories, and the District of Columbia (or their designated entities) were eligible for funding through the SBDD grant program to support these goals. NTIA previously awarded funding to 54 of the entities for initial activities. When combined with today's announcement, NTIA has awarded a total of $293 million in grants among all 56 eligible entities.   

(See NTIA web site announcement for complete list of states and funding amounts.  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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