[1st-mile-nm] Fwd: Community Connect Grants

Fri Oct 25 14:30:17 PDT 2013

Great.  Thanks.
-tom johnson

On Fri, Oct 25, 2013 at 3:17 PM, Les Matthews <les at mesacapitalpartners.us>wrote:

> The application was accompanied by an excellent letter of support signed
> by all members of the Delegation.
> Les Matthews
>
>
>
> From: Tom Johnson <tom at jtjohnson.com>
> Date: Friday, October 25, 2013 3:04 PM
> To: "Brunner, Terry - RD, Albuquerque, NM" <Terry.Brunner at nm.usda.gov>
> Cc: "rl at 1st-mile.com" <rl at 1st-mile.com>, 1st mile nm <
> 1st-mile-nm at mailman.dcn.org>
> Subject: Re: [1st-mile-nm] Fwd: Community Connect Grants
>
> So was there/is there pre-contact and eventual support from our
> congressional delegation?
> -tom johnson
>
>
> On Fri, Oct 25, 2013 at 2:33 PM, Brunner, Terry - RD, Albuquerque, NM <
> Terry.Brunner at nm.usda.gov> wrote:
>
>> I too am disappointed that this particular application wasn't funded.  If
>> it helps to know, this program, Community Connects, and the Distance
>> Learning and Telemedicine program are heavily oversubscribed.  In other
>> words, we receive far more applications than we are able to fund.  In the
>> case of Community Connects, I believe we had more than $100 million in
>> requests, but were allocated approximately $20 million in funding for the
>> program.
>>
>> That doesn't make things better in Ramah, but we will continue to try our
>> best to help that community through other sources.
>>
>>
>> Terry Brunner
>> State Director
>> USDA Rural Development-New Mexico
>> 6200 Jefferson, NE  Room 255
>> Albuquerque, NM  87109
>> Office:  (505) 761-4950
>> Fax:  (505) 761-4976
>> Follow me on Twitter @Terrybrunner
>>  www.rurdev.usda.gov | "Committed to the future of rural communities"
>>
>> Stay Connected with USDA:
>>
>> USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: 1st-mile-nm-bounces at mailman.dcn.org [mailto:
>> 1st-mile-nm-bounces at mailman.dcn.org] On Behalf Of Richard Lowenberg
>> Sent: Friday, October 25, 2013 2:12 PM
>> To: 1st mile nm
>> Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Fwd: Community Connect Grants
>>
>>
>> -------- Original Message --------
>> Subject: Community Connect Grants
>> Date: 25.10.2013 10:13
>>  From: Les Matthews <les at mesacapitalpartners.us>
>>
>> As you are aware the USDA/RUS announced yesterday $20.3M in Community
>> Connect Grant Awards for 2013 to 14 recipients. Once again New Mexico,
>> despite having one of the poorest rankings in rural broadband
>> penetration in the nation was left out. The last time New Mexico
>> received one of these awards was in 2009. Since that time at least 6
>> applications have been denied.
>> This years snub was especially painful. It was for the Pine Hill-Ramah
>> Navajo areas. The application covered 1,700 residents that have NO
>> access to broadband. The only internet available to this community is
>> satellite internet, which doesn't meet the USDA/RUS definition of
>> broadband, and costs $80.00/mo. This community, according to the 2010
>> census is the poorest community in the state. It has 70% unemployment.
>> This grant would have been a lifeline to them. I would have created
>> jobs, and online educational and employment opportunities.
>> The community contracted out the engineering and grant writing of this
>> grant to ACRS in Oklahoma City. ACRS's clients over the past 10 years
>> have been awarded over 50% of all Community Connect Grants, so a weak
>> grant application wasn't one of the problems here. Even a commitment of
>> matching funds in cash was provided ($180,000). The application was
>> accompanied by letters of support from the entire New Mexico
>> Congressional Delegation, The Ramah Navajo Tribal Council, Several
>> tribal/community leaders, over 200 residents, and NMDOiT.
>> This year, due to the short timeline for grant submissions after the
>> posting of the NOFA, a smaller number of applications was received by
>> the USDA/RUS for these grants. The USDA dispatched their local GFR's to
>> the field to confirm broadband availability for about half of the
>> applications. This application didn't even make that cut. Why is that
>> New Mexico keeps being ignored by the USDA/RUS for these important
>> grants?
>>
>> Les Matthews
>> 505 690 0207
>>
>> --
>> ----------------------------------------
>> Richard Lowenberg, Executive Dir.
>> 1st-Mile Institute, 505-603-5200
>> P.O.Box 8001, Santa Fe, NM 87504
>> www.1st-mile.org  rl at 1st-mile.org
>> ----------------------------------------
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>>
>>
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>
>
>
> --
> ==========================================
> J. T. Johnson
> Institute for Analytic Journalism   --   Santa Fe, NM USA<http://www.analyticjournalism.com/>
> 505.577.6482(c)                                    505.473.9646(h)
> Twitter: jtjohnson
> slideshare.net/jtjohnson/presentations
> http://www.jtjohnson.com                  tom at jtjohnson.com
> ==========================================
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-- 
==========================================
J. T. Johnson
Institute for Analytic Journalism   --   Santa Fe, NM
USA<http://www.analyticjournalism.com/>
505.577.6482(c)                                    505.473.9646(h)
Twitter: jtjohnson
slideshare.net/jtjohnson/presentations
http://www.jtjohnson.com                  tom at jtjohnson.com
==========================================
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