Sorry, you need to enable JavaScript to visit this website.
Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.

Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.

The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

NTIA Announces Final Recovery Act Investments For State-Driven Broadband Activities

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 27, 2010
News Media Contact
Moira Vahey

WASHINGTON – The Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) today announced 56 investments totaling $190 million to support state efforts to compete in the digital economy. These are the final awards in the State Broadband Data and Development (SBDD) grant program, funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

"As Congress recognized, many communities are being left behind in the 21st Century economy and need improved broadband access and adoption to compete," said Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information and NTIA Administrator Lawrence E. Strickling. "Each state has unique broadband challenges, and these investments will support solutions developed by the states to harness the power of technology so that local businesses can thrive and residents can enjoy a better quality of life."

The 50 states, five territories, and the District of Columbia will use this funding to support the efficient and creative use of broadband technology to improve their economies. These state-created efforts vary depending on local needs but include programs to assist small businesses and community institutions in using technology more effectively, research to investigate barriers to broadband adoption, innovative applications that increase access to government services and information, and state and local task forces to expand broadband access and adoption.  

As examples of these diverse state-driven projects:

  • Massachusetts will provide technical assistance to small businesses and non-profit organizations to help them improve operations through broadband and technology use.
  • Pennsylvania plans to research barriers to the use of broadband by manufacturers and to examine the impact of broadband use on the competiveness of this sector.
  • In Florida, technology teams will provide hardware and network assessments to public libraries, enabling them to provide faster and more reliable Internet service to the public.
  • Arkansas plans to expand online county government services, particularly in rural communities, allowing residents to access these services from their homes.  
  • Colorado plans to organize a state-wide broadband task force to promote the growth of distance learning and to implement and assess the impact of several pilot projects.  
  • North Carolina will leverage years of experience to expand its broadband planning teams into more communities, driving broadband- and technology-based economic development.

Launched in 2009, NTIA's State Broadband Data and Development grant program implements the joint purposes of the Recovery Act and the Broadband Data Improvement Act (BDIA), which envisioned a comprehensive program, led by state entities or non-profit organizations working at their direction, to facilitate the integration of broadband and information technology into state and local economies. Economic development, energy efficiency, and advances in education and health care rely not only on broadband infrastructure, but also on the knowledge and tools to leverage that infrastructure.

Since accurate data is critical for broadband planning, another purpose of the grant program is to assist states in gathering data twice a year on the availability, speed, and location of broadband services, as well as the broadband services that community institutions, such as schools, libraries and hospitals, use. This data will be used by NTIA to update a searchable, interactive national broadband map once it is completed by the agency by February 17, 2011. NTIA originally funded state data collection and validation efforts for a two-year period; with today's announcement, grantees will be able to continue these efforts for an additional three years.

The Recovery Act provided up to $350 million for implementation of the BDIA and to develop and maintain the national broadband map. All 56 states, territories, and the District of Columbia (or their designated entities) were eligible for funding through the SBDD grant program to support these goals. NTIA previously awarded funding to 54 of the entities for initial activities. When combined with today's announcement, NTIA has awarded a total of $293 million in grants among all 56 eligible entities.   

The following awards, which are supplements to the existing grants, are announced today.  

Alabama:  The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs is awarded $2,977,819.

Alaska:  Connected Nation, the designated entity on behalf of the State of Alaska, is awarded $4,457,388.

American Samoa: The American Samoa Government is awarded $842,915.

Arizona: The Arizona Government Information Technology Agency is awarded $4,064,606.

Arkansas: Connect Arkansas is awarded $4,094,128.*

California: The California Public Utilities Commission is awarded $5,637,544.

Colorado: The Colorado Governor's Office of Information Technology is awarded $3,273,107.

Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands: The Office of the Governor is awarded a grant in the amount of $1,216,116.**

Connecticut: The Connecticut Department of Public Utility Control is awarded $1,949,169.

Delaware: The Delaware Department of Technology and Information is awarded $1,537,717.

District of Columbia: The District of Columbia Office of the Chief Technology Officer is awarded $2,548,530.

Florida: The Florida Department of Management Services is awarded $6,308,570.

Georgia: The Georgia Technology Authority is awarded $3,036,240.

Guam: One Economy Corporation, the designated entity on behalf of the Territory of Guam, is awarded a grant in the amount of $1,558,950.**

Hawaii: The Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs is awarded $2,400,000.

Idaho: The Puget Sound Center for Teaching, Learning and Technology, the designated entity on behalf of the State of Idaho, is awarded $2,653,857.

Iowa: Connected Nation, the designated entity on behalf of the State of Iowa, is awarded $3,515,682.

Illinois: The Partnership for a Connected Illinois, the designated entity on behalf of the State of Illinois, is awarded $4,709,130.

Indiana: The Indiana Office of Technology is awarded $2,028,497.

Kansas: Connected Nation, the designated entity on behalf of the State of Kansas, is awarded $4,397,431.

Kentucky: The Commonwealth of Kentucky, Office of Technology is awarded $3,213,717.

Louisiana: The Louisiana Division of Administration is awarded $4,961,251.

Maine: The State of Maine's Connect ME Authority is awarded $3,193,992.

Maryland: The Maryland Broadband Cooperative is awarded $2,754,686.

Massachusetts: The Massachusetts Broadband Institute is awarded $4,093,476.

Michigan: Connected Nation, the designated entity on behalf of the State of Michigan, is awarded $2,989,930.

Minnesota: Connected Nation, the designated entity on behalf of the State of Minnesota, is awarded $2,761,171.

Mississippi: The Mississippi Office of the Governor is awarded $4,997,013.

Missouri: The Missouri Office of Administration is awarded $4,600,000.

Montana: The Montana Department of Commerce is awarded $3,997,914.

Nebraska: The Nebraska Public Service Commission is awarded $3,565,926.

Nevada: Connected Nation, the designated entity on behalf of the State of Nevada, is awarded $2,565,115.

New Hampshire: The University of New Hampshire is awarded $4,377,623.

New Jersey: The New Jersey Office of Information Technology is awarded $2,927,813.

New Mexico: The New Mexico Department of Information Technology is awarded $2,876,905.

New York: The New York State Office of Cyber Security and Critical Infrastructure is awarded $6,375,431.

North Carolina: The Rural Economic Development Center, Inc. (e-NC Authority) is awarded $4,587,122.

North Dakota: The North Dakota Information Technology Department is awarded $2,050,333.

Ohio: The Ohio Office of Information Technology is awarded $5,253,023.

Oklahoma: The Oklahoma Office of State Finance is awarded $1,675,300.

Oregon: The Public Utility Commission of Oregon is awarded $3,550,000.

Pennsylvania: The Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development is awarded $5,110,628.

Puerto Rico: The Office of the Governor is awarded $1,108,957.

Rhode Island: The Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation is awarded $3,002,127.

South Carolina: Connected Nation, the designated entity on behalf of the State of South Carolina, is awarded $2,293,429.

South Dakota: The South Dakota Bureau of Information and Telecommunications is awarded $3,830,087.

Tennessee: Connected Tennessee is awarded $2,722,118.

Texas: Connected Nation, the designated entity on behalf of the State of Texas, is awarded $4,997,835.

Utah: The Utah Public Service Commission is awarded $3,151,583.

Vermont: The Vermont Center for Geographic Information is awarded $2,345,500.

Virgin Islands: The Virgin Islands Public Finance Authority is awarded $1,714,652.

Virginia: The Center for Innovative Technology, the designated entity on behalf of the State of Virginia, is awarded $5,800,000.

Washington: The Washington State Department of Information Services is awarded $5,098,262.

West Virginia: The West Virginia Geological and Economic Survey is awarded $3,344,507.

Wisconsin: The Public Service Commission of Wisconsin is awarded $2,822,468.

Wyoming: The Puget Sound Center for Teaching, Learning and Technology, the designated entity on behalf of the State of Wyoming, is awarded $2,361,028.

*Connect Arkansas is not affiliated with the national non-profit Connected Nation.
**These two are initial grant awards.