Recovery Act

FCC

NTIA, Agriculture and FCC Officials Detail Broadband Stimulus Funding Programs

WASHINGTON, March 11, 2009 – President Obama’s commitment to using federal funds for improving broadband deployment inched closer to reality Tuesday as the federal agencies responsible for implementing stimulus funding urged creativity and speed in submitting applications for grants.

FCC

NTIA Releases Notice of Rule-Making; Announces New Public Meetings on March 16-19, 23 and 24

WASHINGTON, March 10 – The National Telecommunications and Information Administration on Monday released a notice of rule-making concerning the broadband initiatives under the fiscal stimulus legislation and announced a series of additional public meetings on March 16-19, and on March 23 and 24.

FCC

Grant Program Must Balance Competing Interests and Remain Transparent, Experts Say

WASHINGTON, March 9, 2009 – Soon to be released FCC data will help balance the interests of public need for expanded networks and industry needs for financial incentives while implementing the goals of the Obama broadband stimulus package, a triumvirate of telecommunications experts said during aMon

NTIA

Senate Governmental Affairs Committee Seeks Stimulus Accountability

WASHINGTON, March 8, 2009 – Senators on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Thursday weighed the need to distribute federal stimulus fund urgently against the desire to ensure that monies are well-spent.

FCC

NTIA Announces Series of Public Meetings on Broadband Stimulus; Introduces Rick Wade

WASHINGTON, March 6, 2009 – Rick C. Wade, a senior advisor in the presidential campaign of Barack Obama and currently the acting chief of staff for the Commerce Department, will be one of three featured speakers at the broadband stimulus public meeting next Tuesday.

FCC

Government Should Promote Broadband Adoption and Focus on the Unserved, Says Cable Chief

WASHINGTON, March 5, 2009 – Broadband stimulus funds should be prioritized to unserved areas and encourage greater adoption, National Cable and Telecommunications Association president and CEO Kyle McSlarrow wrote in a Thursday letter to members of Congress.

CPUC

Smart Grid May Present New Opportunities for Broadband, Say Experts

WASHINGTON, March 3, 2009 – Revamping the nation’s energy grid for the 21st Century could increase demand for a nationwide broadband network. But a group of experts from government, standards-setting bodies and industry told senators Tuesday that all stakeholders must first do a better job of workin

Broadband Mapping and Data

Internet Use Vital to Rural Economy, USDA Report Finds

WASHINGTON, March 3, 2009 – Most rural Americans do not subscribe to high speed internet services, according to an Agriculture Department report released last week.

usda

On Broadband Issues, Lobbying Expenditures Jumped at Year's End

WASHINGTON, March 3, 2009 – The National Cable and Telecommunications Association spent $4.4 million lobbying Congress and executive branch agencies on the subject of “broadband” during the last quarter of 2008, more than twice as much as the U.S. Telecom Association spent lobbying during the same p

usda

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to Highlight Obama Broadband Stimulus Meeting

WASHINGTON, March 2, 2009 – One week from Tuesday, the Federal Communications Commission, the Commerce Department and the Rural Utilities Service will hold a public meeting on broadband stimulus measures. But who will speak for the administration of President Obama on broadband? None other than Secr

FCC

With Stimulus Fight Complete, Advocates Shift Focus to Universal Service

WASHINGTON, February 16, 2009 – With $7.2 billion in fiscal stimulus grants and loans marked to expand broadband infrastructure, industry groups, consumer advocates and some state regulators are supporting a proposal to fund broadband for low income households by tapping into the Universal Service F

FCC

Broadband Providers Applaud as Stimulus Bill Heads to White House

WASHINGTON, February 13, 2009 – Broadband service providers can breathe a sigh of relief as the economic stimulus package — with the provisions for high-speed internet services intact, headed to the President’s desk after a marathon day of voting by lawmakers.

usda

Stimulus Compromise Awards $7.2 Billion for Broadband, Splits Funding Between Agencies

WASHINGTON, February 13, 2009 – Advocates for federal promotion of broadband access breathed easier after a congressional conference committee reported a final version of the economic stimulus bill with $7.2 billion for broadband – more than either chamber had allocated individually.

marsha blackburn

Critics Call Broadband Program 'Rushed,' Decry Open Access Requirements in Stimulus Bill as Vote Nears

WASHINGTON, February 12, 2009 – House Republicans and conservative watchdog groups met at the National Press Club Thursday morning to air their grievances about the economic stimulus bill that they predicted would be wasteful and ineffective at jump-starting an economic recovery.

Recovery Act

'Open Access' in Broadband Stimulus Legislation Praised by Industry Groups, Internet Activists

WASHINGTON, February 12, 2009 – The “open access” provisions of the broadband stimulus package currently before Congress was praised by technology industry officials and network neutrality activists during a conference call on Wednesday afternoon.

AEI

Efficacy, Timing of Broadband Stimulus at Issue for Experts, Economists

WASHINGTON, February 11, 2009 – As the economic stimulus legislation entered conference negotiations Tuesday after Senate passage, the broadband stimulus provisions were the subject of fierce criticism by a panel of economists at the American Enterprise Institute.