NTIA Reports $11B in Round 2 Broadband Stimulus Applications
Posted by Jesse Ward on Monday, April 12, 2010 · 
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NTIA announced last week that it received 867 applications asking for $11 billion in funding in the second round of the agency’s Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP). This is less than half the 1,770 applications the agency received in the first round.
The drop off might be due to change in rules, which prohibit applicants from filing the same project with both NTIA and RUS.
Applications came in from a diverse range of parties including state, local and tribal governments; nonprofits; industry; anchor institutions, such as libraries, universities, community colleges, and hospitals; public safety organizations; and other entities in rural, suburban and urban areas. When you add in about $4.5 billion in matching funds committed by the applicants, the total is more than $15.5 billion in proposed broadband projects.
“For the second round of BTOP funding, we sharpened our program focus and encouraged applicants to create comprehensive proposals to meet the needs of their communities. We are pleased that a high percentage of applicants appear to have met our priorities and we look forward to reviewing this more targeted pool of applications,” said Lawrence E. Strickling, Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information and Administrator of NTIA. “We will move quickly but carefully to fund the best projects to bring broadband and jobs to more Americans.”
NTIA announced on April 7 a new website, www2.ntia.doc.gov, which the agency is touting as the best source for current information about NTIA’s BTOP program and state broadband mapping.
For its part, RUS has yet to release data points on Round 2 applications for the Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP). However, several major carriers including Qwest, TDS Telecom and Windstream announced to the public that they filed Round 2 applications.
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