More on LightSquared
Posted by Steve Fravel on Friday, January 20, 2012 · 
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To review what has taken place over the past week or so: the National Space-Based Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT) Executive Committee announced on Friday January 13 that, “Based upon this testing analysis, there appear to be no practical solutions or mitigations that would permit the LightSquared broadband service, as proposed, to operate in the next few months or years without significantly interfering with GPS. As a result, no additional testing is warranted at this time.” The announcement was released after follow-up testing of general location and navigation devices and cellular GPS had taken place. Read more
Broadband Adoption Rises But Gaps Still Persist
Posted by Jesse Ward on Monday, November 8, 2010 · ·
According to the new report released today from the Department of Commerce, the United States still faces a significant gap in residential broadband use that breaks down along income lines, education levels and other socio-economic factors, even as subscriptions among American households overall grew sevenfold from 2001 to 2009.
What’s more, the data shows a gap of 10% in broadband use between whites and blacks and a gap of 14% between whites and Hispanics even after controlling for socio-economic factors. Read more
NTIA and RUS Complete Broadband Stimulus Awards
Posted by Jesse Ward on Monday, October 4, 2010 · ·
Last week NTIA and RUS announced a handful of new investments as both agencies scrambled to meet the September 30 deadline to award nearly $7 billion in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funding. With these awards the government has now formally announced all the winners in the broadband stimulus program.
NTIA awarded $206.8 million in grants to 14 new investments, including two comprehensive community infrastructure awards ,six public computer center awards and six sustainable broadband adoption awards. This follows closely on the heels of a$115.2 million grant to the Maryland Department of Information Technology.
In total, NTIA has invested in 233 Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) projects, mainly middle-mile ventures. Based on estimates provided by grant recipients, the projects will: Read more
Govt Announces $1 Billion in New Broadband Stimulus Awards
Posted by Jesse Ward on Wednesday, September 15, 2010 · ·
This past Monday was a broadband stimulus bonanza, with the federal government awarding a little more than $1 billion in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) grant funding.
RUS announced that $518 million will be invested in 43 new broadband infrastructure projects that will create jobs and provide rural residents in 27 states and Native American tribal areas access to improved Internet service. An additional $34.1 million in private investment also will be committed to the projects.
The largest grant, $66.4 million, was awarded to Lake County in Minnesota for a fiber-the-premises (FTTP) network. Other RUS Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP) grants of note: Read more
New Broadband Stimulus Awards Include Satellite, Public Safety Networks
Posted by Jesse Ward on Thursday, August 19, 2010 · ·
Yesterday Vice President Biden announced that as part of the second round of broadband funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), the government has awarded $1.8 billion to 94 new broadband projects within 37 states.
This announcement includes 66 grants awarded by the U.S. Department of Commerce National Telecommunications and Information Agency (NTIA) to deploy broadband and connect community anchor institutions, create and upgrade public computer centers, and encourage the sustainable adoption of broadband service. It also includes 28 awards from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Utilities Service (RUS) for broadband infrastructure and satellite projects that will provide rural residents in 16 states and Native American tribal areas access to improved service.
The University of Arkansas received the largest financial award,$102 million, to connect community anchor institutions throughout the state. Other winners include Windstream which received more than $64 million for four new projects; Yadkin Valley Telephone Membership Corp. which received more than $21 million for a FTTH network; and Peoples Telephone Cooperative which was awarded more than $28 million to provide middle-mile broadband service in eastern Texas, connecting 190 community institutions to broadband.
For the first time the stimulus winners include four satellite operators: Read more
Government Awards $795 million in Stimulus Round 2
Posted by Jesse Ward on Tuesday, July 6, 2010 · ·
President Obama announced the first 66 winners in the second funding round of the ARRA broadband stimulus program. The awardees include municipalities, educational institutions and tier 2 and 3 telcos, many of which will fill in fiber “middle mile” gaps in rural communities.
The Obama administration reports that the investment will create 5,000 construction and installation jobs. The release touts these additional benefits: Read more
NTIA Awards $114 Million to 9 New Projects, First-Round Complete
Posted by Jesse Ward on Monday, May 3, 2010 · ·
On April 26, NTIA announced nine recipients of Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) grants, thus bringing the first-round awards to a close. The investments, totaling more than $114 million in grants, will increase broadband access and adoption in more than a dozen states.
All told, in the first-round NTIA awarded 82 BTOP grants worth $1.2 billion that will expand broadband access and adoption through projects in 45 states and territories.
The agency is now reviewing the second round of applications, which will be announced this summer. NTIA must complete the awards by September 30.
Here is a rundown on the winners announced last week: Read more