Infrastructure
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
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is a cabinet agency, and includes several broadband-related funding programs.
Infrastructure
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
House Appropriations
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.
Expert Opinion
Broadband Infrastructure Investments Need Transparency, Says BroadbandCensus.com
WASHINGTON, February 9, 2009 – In a guest op-ed in Ars Technica, the founder and executive director of BroadbandCensus.com cautions that the broadband infrastructure investments planned as part of the economic stimulus package need transparency if they’re to be effective.
USDA
House Appropriations Committee Seeks $6 Billion for Broadband, Would Impose Speed Requirements Upon Most Grant Recipients
WASHINGTON, January 16, 2009 – The House Appropriations Committee on Thursday released draft legislation providing an additional $6 billion to expand broadband access, both in rural areas and in areas that are generally “underserved” by broadband providers.
Fiber
Broadband Stimulus Package Should Include Funding for State Data, Says Massachusetts
WASHINGTON, January 2, 2009 – Congress and the incoming administration of President Obama should include broadband-related investment in the pending legislation designed to promote economic stimulus, and the federal government needs to begin with better data about broadband availability, said Massac
USDA
New Mexico Infrastructure Report Fails to Incorporate Broadband Access
August 29 – As with other states seeking to promote the availability of high-speed internet access in a broadband-centered world, New Mexico is struggling just to keep up.
USDA
Comments of BroadbandCensus.com in FCC Rulemaking on Broadband Data
Regulatory Filing WASHINGTON, July 18 – Because the importance of conducting a national Broadband Census that includes consumer-focused information about broadband competition, broadband speeds and broadband prices, BroadbandCensus.com this week urged the Federal Communications Commission to disclos
