Broadband Stimulus Notes
Low-income urban areas without affordable broadband shouldn’t be forgotten when government agencies set conditions for broadband grants, said a letter that six House Democrats sent Wednesday to the NTIA, RUS and FCC. “While there is a strong focus in the [Recovery Act] on rural areas, we want to ensure that ‘underserved’ urban areas are properly considered during the broadband grant process,” the letter said. The lawmakers asked that low-income urban populations be considered as potentially underserved when agencies develop grant rules. Though urban poor people may have “several different options for broadband access, they are ‘underserved’ if none of these options are affordable,” the letter said. The signers were Reps. Ed Markey of Massachusetts, Bobby Rush of Illinois, Doris Matsui of California, Mike Doyle of Pennsylvania, Kathy Castor of Florida, Diana DeGette of Colorado and Del. Donna Christensen of the Virgin Islands. ----
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The Texas Department of Agriculture partnered with the state’s Public Utility Commission to obtain information and advice from broadband contractors and others in preparation for the release of $7.2 billion in federal broadband stimulus funds, the agencies said Tuesday. The agencies requested input on how to “identify and extend service” to areas that are unserved and underserved by broadband providers. Mapping initiatives and other deployment projects could be funded through the stimulus or the Data Improvement Act of 2008, said the state’s Agriculture Department.