Finding Spectrum, Collecting Broadband Data Are Among NTIA Top Priorities, Strickling Says
NTIA will start announcing round-two awards under the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program in July, Administrator Larry Strickling said at Pike & Fischer’s Broadband Policy Summit. With about $1.2 billion having been awarded to 82 projects in round one, there’s still $3 billion to be awarded by Sept. 30. In the first round, NTIA learned that “when we're talking about unserved and underserved areas in this country, there’s a huge difference between the needs of the anchor institutions and the needs of families and small business,” Strickling said. The need for much higher speeds is greater for the anchor institutions, like libraries and schools, he said.
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The middle mile “is incredibly important in the business plan of a last-mile provider,” Strickling said. Without adequate middle-mile facilities, “the ability for last mile providers to build out in those areas … is greatly hampered."
For the second round, NTIA plans to distribute money to support broadband for public-safety communications, a new category, in addition to funding infrastructure, sustainable broadband adoption projects and public computer centers, Strickling said. Funds also will go toward helping states collect and verify data on broadband availability and to “develop statewide broadband plan implementation efforts.” The agency will work with the FCC to evaluate the information and integrate it into a National Broadband map to be available to the public in February 2011, he said.