TOPEKA — The application for grant funding to provide rural broadband Internet projects has entered its second round, according to the Kansas Department of Commerce [KDOC].
In all, there is $4.6 billion available nationwide as part of the federal Recovery Act.
“The first round was last year and the second round means that Internet Service Providers and other organizations that are looking to build rural Internet infrastructure in rural Kansas can apply,” said Commerce spokesman Joe Monaco.
The funding is available through two federal programs.
The first is the Broadband Initiatives Program [BIP] which makes loans and grants to Internet service providers for broadband infrastructure projects in rural areas. The program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Utilities Service. There is $2.2 billion in BIP funding available.
The second group of funding is for the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program [BTOP]. That program provides grants to organizations such as non-profits, government entities, schools, libraries, hospitals and providers to fund broadband infrastructure, public computer centers and sustainable broadband adoption projects. The program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications Information Administration. There is $2.6 billion in BTOP funding available.
“This is more than just a quality of life issue, it is crucial to have high speed Internet in rural areas of Kansas,” Monaco said.
Monaco said that the KDOC will host a Connect Kansas Applicant Webinar on Friday, Feb. 19 at 10 a.m. at www.ConnectKansas.org. The Department has also posted Census block-level data and county-level broadband coverage maps at www.ConnectKansas.org that include the majority of service areas in the state. A complete statewide map for public consumption and utilization will be unveiled in March.
The first round of federal funding ran from July through August 2009, and awards are currently being announced on a rolling basis. From that first round, Kansas provider Rural Telephone Service Co. last month was awarded more than $101 million in grants and loans through BIP for Internet infrastructure projects in rural Kansas. Monaco said the Kansas Department of Commerce expects additional first-round Kansas applicants to receive awards in the coming months.
“They were the only applicant that we have heard from in the first round,” Monaco said. “That was a huge announcement and it was one of the biggest in the nation.”
In addition to providing grants and loans to service providers and organizations, the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications Information Administration has issued awards to states for broadband mapping and planning. In November 2009, Kansas was awarded $2 million to support Connect Kansas, the state’s mapping and planning initiative.
On the Web:
Connect Kansas — http://www.ConnectKansas.org
Kansas Department of Commerce — www.kansascommerce.com
