|
Federal Recovery Act (ARRA) - Broadband Deployment
Quick Links for Broadband Deployment
Broadband Pre-Application Questionnaire
On July 1, 2009 the two Federal agencies (the NTIA and the RUS) that will be distributing grants or
loans under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) for broadband deployment
issued application guidelines and filing requirements.
Applications are due to NTIA and RUS by August 14, 2009. The State has developed a
brief
questionnaire for potential applicants to complete and submit so that the State can get a better
handle on where broadband projects may be pursued and thus be in a better position to support those
projects at the Federal level. The NTIA will explicitly seek state input on proposed projects.
Your participation on this
information gathering effort can put the State in a better position to support and promote
Wisconsin Broadband projects before the Federal agencies that will be distributing these
broadband grants and loans.
See a copy of the questionnaire letter
 (38 kb)
Take the Customer Broadband Survey
The purpose of the PSCW’s Broadband
Customer Survey is part of a larger effort to deploy broadband in Wisconsin and
ultimately throughout the entire nation. The federal American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act (ARRA) provides for grants to map and deploy broadband, especially to
unserved and underserved areas. By completing this survey, you can help us identify where
the need for broadband exists. If you need to respond for more than one residence
or business location, or have more than one type of broadband service at a single location,
please repeat the survey.
Preliminary Results of Survey
Accumulative results from the Broadband Survey
(data and maps) are now
available on this website.
Broadband Deployment
Funding is provided for a variety of activities to enhance the deployment of broadband
technology to rural, unserved, and underserved areas. These funding sources
include loans and grants for infrastructure investments, sustainable adoption practices,
public computing centers, and statewide data collection and mapping. It appears that
most of the funding for will be made available directly from the federal USDA Rural Utilities
Service (RUS) and the U.S. Department of Commerce National Telecommunications and Information
Administration (NTIA) through competitive grant programs.
The PSC expects to play a role in implementing the State Broadband Data and Development
Grant program, which also received funding under the stimulus bill. This program was
authorized in the federal Broadband Data Services Improvement Act (P.L. 110-385) that
passed in October 2008. The PSC began gathering basic information about broadband needs
in Wisconsin under Docket 5-GF-182. Information about this docket is available through
the PSC’s
Electronic Regulatory Filing System. The PSC is also working with state and
federal agencies to identify broadband funding priorities. As we gain a better understanding
of how these programs will be implemented at the federal level, we will post updated
information about funding opportunities and programs available to eligible entities in
Wisconsin.
Contact Information
For more information about broadband efforts in Wisconsin, contact Gary Evenson at the
PSC at (608) 266-6744 or email
Gary Evenson.
|
