The $787B stimulus bill contains $7.2B for broadband grant and loan programs. Certainly wireless broadband is a lot more "shovel ready" than wireline broadband. How much of this might reach the HSTX top line?
Rob
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The bulk of the funds directed at broadband--$4.7 billion--will be distributed through a program run by the Commerce Department, while $2.5 billion will fall under the jurisdiction of the Agriculture Department, giving particular emphasis to broadband deployment in rural areas.
NTIA (Commerce Dept)
The final version of the bill maintains that projects funded by the Commerce Department's National Telecommunications and Information Administration must adhere to nondiscrimination and openness principles. The funds must also be distributed before September 30, 2010, to projects that can be completed within two years.
The NTIA's "Broadband Technology Opportunities Program" is intended to "award competitive grants to accelerate broadband deployment in unserved and underserved areas and to strategic institutions that are likely to create jobs or provide significant public benefits," the bill says.
Rather than specify that certain portions of the NTIA funds go to rural areas, the bill says the $4.7 billion is intended to serve all parts of the country, including rural, suburban, and urban areas. The money may also go to any recipient that best serves an area's needs, including wireless providers, wireline providers, or any provider offering to construct last-mile, middle-mile, or long-haul facilities.
RUS (Agriculture Dept)
While the Senate intended to distribute only $100 million in broadband funds through the Agriculture Department's Rural Utilities Service, the final number--$2.5 billion-- is much closer to the House's plan to allocate about $2.8 billion through the RUS.
FULL ARTICLE HERE
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