ARRA grants released to expand broadband access
U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke has released 10 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) investments, totaling more than $63 million in grants, will increase broadband access and adoption in more than a dozen states.
The grants will fund projects that lay the groundwork to bring high-speed internet access to link schools, hospitals, libraries and public safety offices to the information superhighway.
The grant recipients are:
The grants will fund projects that lay the groundwork to bring high-speed internet access to link schools, hospitals, libraries and public safety offices to the information superhighway.
The grant recipients are:
- In Ohio and Pennsylvania, Zito Media Communications will receive a $6.1 million broadband infrastructure grant with an additional $1.5 million applicant-provided match to create a 382-mile fiber ring with 10 gigabits of capacity through the counties of Geauga, Ashtabula, and Trumbull in Northeastern Ohio, and the counties of Erie, Crawford and Mercer in Northwestern Pennsylvania. The project plans to deploy 342 miles of new fiber and 40 miles of leased fiber to directly connect an estimated 60 community anchor institutions at speeds from 10 Mbps to 1 Gbps, including hospitals, schools, public safety agencies, colleges and libraries.
- In Idaho, First Step Internet will receive a $2.4 million broadband infrastructure grant with an additional $600,000 applicant-provided match to build a regional network of 10 microwave towers to extend internet service in the rural counties of Latah, Idaho, Clearwater, Lewis and Nez Perce in north-central Idaho. The project intends to connect 42 anchor institutions, including healthcare facilities, emergency response agencies, libraries and government offices, as well as institutions serving the Nez Perce Tribe.
- In Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah, the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority will receive the largest grant of $32.2 million for broadband infrastructure with an additional $13.8 million applicant-provided match to bring high-speed affordable broadband services to the Navajo Nation by deploying 550 miles of new aerial fiber-optic cable and 59 new or modified microwave towers covering 15,000 square miles in three states. The proposed service area has rugged terrain and significant poverty, and more than 60 percent of residents lack basic telephone service. The project expects to connect 49 Chapter Houses, which serve as community centers for the Navajo population, at speeds from 10 Mbps to 10 Gbps. Last-mile wireless services will be offered at speeds between 1 and 3 Mbps through the project’s wireless partner, Commnet Wireless.