Governor announces $1.8 Million grant awarded to Wyoming for Broadband
by State of Wyoming media release
November 6, 2009
Governor Dave Freudenthal announced that Wyoming received a $1.8 million grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) today for broadband mapping and planning activities.
The funds, which will lay the groundwork for enhanced internet services, fall under NTIA's State Broadband Data and Development Grant Program which is funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
The goal is to increase broadband access and adoption through better data collection and broadband planning, which will inform policymakers' efforts and provide consumers with improved information on the broadband Internet services available to them.
The State-designated entity that will receive the grant is the non-profit Puget Sound Center for Teaching, Learning and Technology. Approximately $1.3 million will be used for broadband data collection and mapping activities over a two-year period; and almost $500,000 for broadband planning activities over a three-year period.
Wyoming, under the federal requirements, contributed at least 20 percent non-federal matching funds toward project costs. This was done through the earlier efforts of the State and CostQuest.
Pugent Sound will collect and verify the availability, speed and location of broadband across the state. This activity is to be conducted on a semi-annual basis between 2009 and 2011, with the data to be presented in a clear and accessible format to the public, government, and the research community.
NTIA received applications from all 50 states, five territories, and the District of Columbia. The first eight grants under this program were announced last month and the agency expects to continue announcing awards on a rolling basis throughout the fall.
NTIA carefully evaluated Wyoming’s application to determine whether it directly represented the interests of the State, which was especially critical in the context of the broadband planning activities that NTIA considers the responsibility of the State. Wyoming is providing direction and supervision to the planning activities that will be undertaken by Puget Sound, which is a non-state government entity, to ensure that planning funds are used to address the specific needs of Wyoming.
For more information about the NTIA, visit www.ntia.doc.gov.
|
