(Late Submission) Attached are the comments submitted by Ed Anderson Director, Network Services - Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) on behalf of NSHE, The Nevada Dept. of Transportation (NDOT), and teh Nevada Department of Information Technology (DoIT)
(Late Submission) Attached, in both Word (.doc) and Adobe (.pdf) formats, are the comments of the MSS & ATC Coalition in response to the joint NTIA and RUS request for information.
Ms. Bernadette McGuire-Rivera
Associate Administrator
Office of Telecommunications
and Information Applications
National Telecommunications
and Information Administration
U.S. Department of Commerce
1401 Constitution Ave., N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20230
Mr. David P. Grahn
Associate General Counsel
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Rural Development
Room 2017
Mail Stop 1423
1400 Independence Avenue SW
Washington, DC 20250-3201
Global Crossing submits this letter to urge the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (“NTIAâ€Â) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (“USDAâ€Â) to establish a process that matches parties interested in deploying middle-mile broadband facilities with parties interested in deploying last-mile broadband facilities so as to avoid purely speculative (and potentially wasteful) investments in broadband facilities and optimize the effectiveness of the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (“BTOPâ€Â) administered by the NTIA and the rural broadband grants and loan program administered by the USDA.
In laying out the goals of the BTOP program, Mark G. Seifert, Senior Advisor to the Assistant Secretary of NTIA, stated:
“First, we want to create jobs.â€Â
“Second, we want to begin to close the broadband gap in America. We, therefore, want to extend high-capacity pipes closer to users in rural, remote, and underserved communities. As Congress has instructed, other entities will be able to connect to those pipes, which will spur competition and get service to people and businesses.
The high-capacity pipes referred to by Mr. Seifert are commonly known as “middle-mile†facilities that connect rural carriers to the Internet. Typically, these middle-mile facilities are the sole connection available to the Internet and can span literally hundreds of miles. Not surprisingly, the cost of these facilities is exorbitant and inhibits the growth of broadband speed and capacity in the last mile. It is fair to say that until there is a likelihood that middle-mile links will be available, it is difficult or impossible to deploy last-mile facilities in unserved and underserved areas. This is especially true for those areas where middle-mile facilities comprise the majority of costs associated with broadband deployment.
Global Crossing is a Tier 1 Internet backbone operator with substantial investment in telecommunications networks here in the United States and around the world. As the only Tier 1 Internet backbone operator with end to end IPv6 implementations as well as an ability to run legacy IPv4 dual stack we are also well poised to provide enhanced security and functionality to all middle/last mile facilities and the end users served by them. By providing training, education and experience on the more advanced IPv6 platform we can also contribute directly to Administration goals of training the workforce on technologies of the future. We are eager to make investments in middle-mile facilities in support of last-mile broadband efforts. Indeed, Global Crossing is currently working with existing rural carriers to identify potential middle-mile routes that would be eligible to receive funds under the BTOP and rural broadband grant and loan programs. However, our efforts appear limited to providing improved access to broadband in underserved areas of the United States rather than providing broadband access to unserved areas.
In order to provide access to broadband service to consumers residing in unserved areas of the United States, Global Crossing would have to deploy middle-mile facilities on a purely speculative basis. This is because it is unknown at this time if any entity is willing to invest in last-mile broadband facilities in unserved areas. The conundrum – or “chicken and egg†problem – is that entities based in the unserved areas aren’t willing to deploy last mile broadband facilities because they do not know if anyone will make available reasonably priced middle-mile facilities. The problem for Global Crossing and companies like us is that identifying potential partners in unserved areas is by definition a logical impossibility because the areas are unserved. (In underserved areas there are broadband providers already serving consumers to some extent and thus easily identifiable.) But in unserved areas there are no existing broadband providers and it is impossible to know who is willing to make such synergistic or mutually dependent investments
Hopefully the application process will reveal entities willing to make such investments, but the viability of those applications would be greatly enhanced if they were matched with applications regarding middle-mile investments. For this reason, Global Crossing urges the NTIA and USDA to establish a process whereby last-mile providers and middle-mile providers can be paired up in support of a more complete effort to provide broadband service to unserved areas. This would greatly enhance the effectiveness of the BTOP and rural broadband programs and avoid having broadband stimulus monies going to purely speculative ventures that may not advance the goals of the BTOP program or the rural broadband grants and loans programs.
As the NTIA and USDA make available the list of applicants to the BTOP and rural broadband programs, Global Crossing recommends that the lists be categorized geographically and functionally. This will allow applicants, or prospective applicants, to more easily identify potential synergistic applications. Parties should then be able to request that their application be considered in conjunction with each other. In effect, NTIA and USDA would be creating an information exchange and facilitating the sort of deal-making that is so difficult to achieve at this point due to a lack of information about potential applicants and a lack of transparency into the business plans of potential applicants. NTIA and USDA would of course have to weigh the synergistic opportunities as part of their evaluation of the applications and even allow for a period during which applicants could revise their applications to acknowledge the synergistic opportunities with other applicants, something Mr. Seifert contemplated in his testimony.
Global Crossing believes that proceeding in this fashion will result in a more comprehensive, and less speculative, deployment initiative, reduce waste, and deliver more broadband capabilities to a greater number of consumers. For these reasons, Global Crossing urges the NTIA and USDA to consider this recommendation.
(Late Submission) I live in a seculded spot in a rural, mountainous area & I have no affordable options for broadband access. I could probably get broadband via satellite, but the cost would be around $90 per month, which is more than I can afford, especially in the current economic times. It is getting to the point that it's almost impossible to manage without high-speed internet access, but that's my situation. The really sad thing is that if I had high-speed access, I could do more tele-commuting, which would save on travel costs & also vehicle emissions. I am an Information Systems Manager for a school system in western NC. How crazy is that, to be a computer professional who has no broadband access at home? Please help me to get access. Please see attachment.
(Late Submission) Please find attached Comments on behalf of Media Access Project.
--
Sincerely,
Parul
Parul P. Desai
Vice President
Media Access Project
1625 K Street, NW
Suite 1000
Washington, DC 20006
p. 202-454-5683
f. 202-466-7656
www.mediaaccess.org
"No area of a project funded" may receive funding from TOPS
How will that allow coordinated projects?
Nicholas P. Miller
nmiller@millervaneaton.com
Miller & Van Eaton, P.L.L.C.
Suite 1000
1155 Connecticut Avenue. N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20036-4320
phone (202)785-0600
fax (202)785-1234
www.millervaneaton.com
This message is intended only for the use of the individual or entity to
which it is addressed, and may contain information that is privileged,
confidential and exempt from disclosure under applicable law. If you have
received this communication in error, please delete it and destroy any
copies, do not distribute it, and notify us immediately by email:
nmiller@millervaneaton.com or via
telephone: (202) 785 0600.
(Late Submission) Please find attached written response from Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Governor's Office of Administration, related to joint RFI issuance from NTIA/RUS re [Docket No. 090309298-9299-01].
(Late Submission) Attached are the comments and a proposed business model between a State Trust Land Management orginization and private industry to identify and build out significant broadband infastructure across Washington State.
(Late Submission) Attached is a proposal and comment on the NTIA TOP Sustainable Broadband Adoption Grant Program. This is the result of two years of field research in driving broadband adoption and economic and community development through the utilization of the Internet in rural west Tennessee. We have attached the program synopsis and comments as a file.
(Late Submission) Please find attached the Comments of the National EBS Association
(NESBA) in Docket No. 090309298-9299-01.
Respectfully submitted,
Todd D. Gray
Counsel for NESBA
Todd D. Gray
Attorney at Law
1200 New Hampshire Avenue, NW Suite 800
Washington, DC 20036-6802
T 202-776-2571
F 202-776-4571
E tgray@dowlohnes.com
www.dowlohnes.com
___________________________________________________
This message from the law firm of Dow Lohnes PLLC may contain
confidential or privileged information. If you received this
transmission in error, please call us immediately at (202)776-2000 or
contact us by E-mail at admin@dowlohnes.com. Disclosure or use of any
part of this message by persons other than the intended recipient is
prohibited.
(Late Submission) Please find attached comments on behalf of the American Heart
Association and its American Stroke Association in response to your
request for written comments about the broadband initiatives in the
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
>
Stephanie Mohl
Government Relations Manager
______________________
American Heart Association/American Stroke Association
Office of Legislative and Regulatory Affairs
1150 Connecticut Ave., NW
Suite 300
Washington, DC 20036
202-785-7909
202-785-7950 (fax)
stephanie.mohl@heart.org
www.americanheart.org
Go Red For Women.
Join the movement to wipe out heart disease. Visit:
www.goredforwomen.org
(Late Submission) Please accept this updated version of our comments in place of the previous comments we submitted to RUS. Please remove the prior version, which included tracked changes.
Best,
Ken Eisner
Managing Director, OE Ventures
One Economy Corporation
202.256.2897 m
(Late Submission) Dear NTIA and RUS administrators,
As part of the Telecommunications industry here in the U.S., let me ask that we carefully consider the use of the stimulus dollars being considered for our struggling industry. While the inflow of dollars will be greatly appreciated, and will obviously help generate more orders and therefore jobs here in the U.S., it would be mindful to make sure that the flow of funds does NOT flow right back out and over to foreign companies/interests.
Zhone Technologies, Inc. is one of the very few companies that still relies on our own technologies and workforce to produce a leading edge product. And we have been extremely successful at that. So let's make sure that those that have worked so hard receive their due rewards and are not left on the sidelines as the dollars slip out of our hands and into someone's that is not so deserving.
(Late Submission) Attached is a summary of a meeting between OPAD stafff and Connected
Nation, held on March 4, 2009. Please post the summary on the NTIA
website.
Please find attached Ernst & Young's responses to RFI 090309298-9299-01,
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 Broadband Initiatives. The
attached file is in Microsoft Word 2003 format.
We hope that this response will prove useful to you in navigating the
challenging path forward in implementation of the Act's mandate. Please
do not hesitate to contact us with any questions, concerns, or requests
for clarification as to any of the content of the attached.
Best regards,
Gaeron McClure
Gaeron R. McClure | Partner | Transaction Advisory Services
Ernst & Young LLP
200 Plaza Drive, Secaucus, NJ 07094, United States of America
Office: +1 201 872 1460 | Cell: +1 214 587 9701 | gaeron.mcclure@ey.com
Fax: +1 866 430 9675
Website: www.ey.com
Any U.S. tax advice contained in the body of this e-mail was not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used, by the recipient for the purpose of avoiding penalties that may be imposed under the Internal Revenue Code or applicable state or local tax law provisions.
________________________________________________________________________
The information contained in this message may be privileged and confidential and protected from disclosure. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, or an employee or agent responsible for delivering this message to the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution or copying of this communication is strictly prohibited. If you have received this communication in error, please notify us immediately by replying to the message and deleting it from your computer.
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(Late Submission) Please see the attached letter from R. Bruce Josten, Executive Vice President for Government Affairs at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, urging the Rural Utilities Service to adopt rules that would award Rural Development Broadband Program grants and loans funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 on an expedited basis to reputable applicants who demonstrate that they have ready-to-go projects that will bring broadband to unserved areas.
Sincerely,
Jason Goldman
===
Jason D. Goldman
Counsel, Telecommunications & E-Commerce
Environment, Technology & Regulatory Affairs Division
U.S. Chamber of Commerce
1615 H Street, NW
Washington, DC 20062
Tel: 202-463-5949
Fax: 202-887-3445
E-mail: jgoldman@uschamber.com
(Late Submission) The City of Chicago is filing the attached comments with the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (“NTIAâ€Â) of the U.S. Department of Commerce and the Rural Utilities Service (“RUSâ€Â) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture in response to the joint request for information on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 Broadband Initiatives.
Docket No. 090309298-9299-01
If you require further clarification on the City of Chicago's comments, please contact Dean Tsilikas, as he will be serving as the initial point of contact.
We thank you for this opportunity to provide our input, and look forward to the overall success of this important initiative.
(Late Submission) Give priority to existing municipal ISPs that have already taken on the burden of serving unserved/underserved areas. Consider distributing a portion of the funds to these ISPs by formula (based on population in the area served). See attached.
(Late Submission) Please find attached comments pertaining to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 Broadband Initiatives. These comments are provided from the eXtension Foundation, a national Internet-based educational network providing 24/7/365 access to objective, science-based information from land-grant universities and partners nationwide. It is an integral part of and complements the community-based Cooperative Extension System.
(Late Submission) Only wireless solutions can support one-to-one computing for our students and time is of the essence in deploying the broadband networks proposed in the ARRA. See http://www.lastmileonline.com/index/webapp-stories-action?id=412
Ms. Anna Gomez
Deputy Assistant Secretary
National Telecommunications and Information Administration
1401 Constitution Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20230
Dear Deputy Assistant Secretary Gomez:
On behalf of Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP), representing more than a half million business owners and women in business, we urge NTIA to consider the critical implications of broadband deployment for small and women-owned businesses.
Businesses of all sizes have been negatively impacted by the recession, but small businesses – a vital engine of economic growth - have been hit especially hard. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act represents an unprecedented opportunity to help address long-standing challenges that so many American small businesses face. For many small businesses, the road to economic recovery requires access to new and emerging technologies such as broadband. If deployed in a rapid, efficient, and transparent way; NTIA funding will play a crucial role in making broadband more accessible to small businesses owners and will help ensure that the United States can thrive in a 21st century economy.
Specifically, expanding access to advanced telecommunications technologies and services via broadband will spark the creation of new service providers, innovations, and exciting applications for which small businesses depend on to thrive. Such advancements are the most vital and efficient way to deliver information, services, and products such as e-commerce transactions including customer credit-card purchases, online/real-time chat customer assistance and supplier-partner transactions. These services are important touch-points for small businesses to engage customers, suppliers and partners beyond traditional person-to-person, point-of-sale interactions in an Internet global economy. Likewise, small businesses are increasingly seeking global opportunities via broadband connections to reach markets, customers and suppliers outside of traditional local and regional centers.
To that end, we strongly encourage the NTIA to quickly, efficiently, and transparently disperse the stimulus funding to state and local governments so that unserved and underserved small businesses can get on the road to recovery. While financial support and leadership from the federal government is important, state and local governments have the best understanding of what their communities need, can assist in transparent and accountable delivery of broadband, and are in the best position to create effective public-private partnerships to meet specific needs by leveraging private-sector expertise in network construction and management. The best way to gain the benefits of stimulus funding is to ensure that broadband gets to the unserved areas first. That is why we strongly recommend disseminating the funds through an existing model of state-based mapping. It is imperative that these much needed resources get dispersed quickly, without adding network conditions or requirements that will delay or discourage participation by the most capable providers.
We are excited about the prospect of bringing broadband accessibility to all small business owners and are grateful for NTIA’s hard work in ensuring the grants process is fair and efficient. Delivery of next-generation broadband services can not wait – we thank you in advance considering the needs of small businesses as you look forward to spurring economic growth through advanced telecommunications technology.
Sincerely,
Barbara Kasoff
President/CEO
Women Impacting Public Policy
(Late Submission) Please add me to your distribution list for updates about BTOP.
Thank you
Colin
COLIN CLOSE | Research & Program Coordinator
Police Department | 965 Sonoma Avenue | Santa Rosa, CA 95404
Tel. (707) 543-3556 | Fax (707) 543-3557
cclose@srcity.org
(Late Submission) This correspondence came into the Office of the Assistant Secretary on
March 4, 2009.
James V. Wasilewski
Office of Congressional Affairs
National Telecommunications and Information Administration
U.S. Department of Commerce
(202) 482-2476
>>> Ebony Griffin 3/4/2009 11:20:30 AM >>>
Good Morning,
Please see the attached.
Ebony S. Griffin
Administrative Assistant for the Senior Advisor
U.S. Department of Commerce
National Telecommunications and Information Administration
Assistant Secretary's Office
202-482-0279
Printer-friendly version
Comments
Dusan Janjic
We are submiting our coments in the form of two attachments.
"BTOP BTOP" <BTOP@ntia.doc.gov>
Edward Anderson
Attached are the comments submitted by Ed Anderson Director, Network Services - Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) on behalf of NSHE, The Nevada Dept. of Transportation (NDOT), and teh Nevada Department of Information Technology (DoIT)
MSS & ATC Coalition
Attached, in both Word (.doc) and Adobe (.pdf) formats, are the comments of the MSS & ATC Coalition in response to the joint NTIA and RUS request for information.
Global Crossing
April 8, 2009
Ms. Bernadette McGuire-Rivera
Associate Administrator
Office of Telecommunications
and Information Applications
National Telecommunications
and Information Administration
U.S. Department of Commerce
1401 Constitution Ave., N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20230
Mr. David P. Grahn
Associate General Counsel
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Rural Development
Room 2017
Mail Stop 1423
1400 Independence Avenue SW
Washington, DC 20250-3201
RE: BROADBAND STIMULUS PROGRAMS
(Docket No. 090309298-9299-01)
Dear Ms. McGuire-Rivera and Mr. Grahn:
Global Crossing submits this letter to urge the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (“NTIAâ€Â) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (“USDAâ€Â) to establish a process that matches parties interested in deploying middle-mile broadband facilities with parties interested in deploying last-mile broadband facilities so as to avoid purely speculative (and potentially wasteful) investments in broadband facilities and optimize the effectiveness of the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (“BTOPâ€Â) administered by the NTIA and the rural broadband grants and loan program administered by the USDA.
In laying out the goals of the BTOP program, Mark G. Seifert, Senior Advisor to the Assistant Secretary of NTIA, stated:
“First, we want to create jobs.â€Â
“Second, we want to begin to close the broadband gap in America. We, therefore, want to extend high-capacity pipes closer to users in rural, remote, and underserved communities. As Congress has instructed, other entities will be able to connect to those pipes, which will spur competition and get service to people and businesses.
The high-capacity pipes referred to by Mr. Seifert are commonly known as “middle-mile†facilities that connect rural carriers to the Internet. Typically, these middle-mile facilities are the sole connection available to the Internet and can span literally hundreds of miles. Not surprisingly, the cost of these facilities is exorbitant and inhibits the growth of broadband speed and capacity in the last mile. It is fair to say that until there is a likelihood that middle-mile links will be available, it is difficult or impossible to deploy last-mile facilities in unserved and underserved areas. This is especially true for those areas where middle-mile facilities comprise the majority of costs associated with broadband deployment.
Global Crossing is a Tier 1 Internet backbone operator with substantial investment in telecommunications networks here in the United States and around the world. As the only Tier 1 Internet backbone operator with end to end IPv6 implementations as well as an ability to run legacy IPv4 dual stack we are also well poised to provide enhanced security and functionality to all middle/last mile facilities and the end users served by them. By providing training, education and experience on the more advanced IPv6 platform we can also contribute directly to Administration goals of training the workforce on technologies of the future. We are eager to make investments in middle-mile facilities in support of last-mile broadband efforts. Indeed, Global Crossing is currently working with existing rural carriers to identify potential middle-mile routes that would be eligible to receive funds under the BTOP and rural broadband grant and loan programs. However, our efforts appear limited to providing improved access to broadband in underserved areas of the United States rather than providing broadband access to unserved areas.
In order to provide access to broadband service to consumers residing in unserved areas of the United States, Global Crossing would have to deploy middle-mile facilities on a purely speculative basis. This is because it is unknown at this time if any entity is willing to invest in last-mile broadband facilities in unserved areas. The conundrum – or “chicken and egg†problem – is that entities based in the unserved areas aren’t willing to deploy last mile broadband facilities because they do not know if anyone will make available reasonably priced middle-mile facilities. The problem for Global Crossing and companies like us is that identifying potential partners in unserved areas is by definition a logical impossibility because the areas are unserved. (In underserved areas there are broadband providers already serving consumers to some extent and thus easily identifiable.) But in unserved areas there are no existing broadband providers and it is impossible to know who is willing to make such synergistic or mutually dependent investments
Hopefully the application process will reveal entities willing to make such investments, but the viability of those applications would be greatly enhanced if they were matched with applications regarding middle-mile investments. For this reason, Global Crossing urges the NTIA and USDA to establish a process whereby last-mile providers and middle-mile providers can be paired up in support of a more complete effort to provide broadband service to unserved areas. This would greatly enhance the effectiveness of the BTOP and rural broadband programs and avoid having broadband stimulus monies going to purely speculative ventures that may not advance the goals of the BTOP program or the rural broadband grants and loans programs.
As the NTIA and USDA make available the list of applicants to the BTOP and rural broadband programs, Global Crossing recommends that the lists be categorized geographically and functionally. This will allow applicants, or prospective applicants, to more easily identify potential synergistic applications. Parties should then be able to request that their application be considered in conjunction with each other. In effect, NTIA and USDA would be creating an information exchange and facilitating the sort of deal-making that is so difficult to achieve at this point due to a lack of information about potential applicants and a lack of transparency into the business plans of potential applicants. NTIA and USDA would of course have to weigh the synergistic opportunities as part of their evaluation of the applications and even allow for a period during which applicants could revise their applications to acknowledge the synergistic opportunities with other applicants, something Mr. Seifert contemplated in his testimony.
Global Crossing believes that proceeding in this fashion will result in a more comprehensive, and less speculative, deployment initiative, reduce waste, and deliver more broadband capabilities to a greater number of consumers. For these reasons, Global Crossing urges the NTIA and USDA to consider this recommendation.
Sincerely,
Paul Kouroupas
Vice President, Regulatory Affairs
Jane Peebles
I live in a seculded spot in a rural, mountainous area & I have no affordable options for broadband access. I could probably get broadband via satellite, but the cost would be around $90 per month, which is more than I can afford, especially in the current economic times. It is getting to the point that it's almost impossible to manage without high-speed internet access, but that's my situation. The really sad thing is that if I had high-speed access, I could do more tele-commuting, which would save on travel costs & also vehicle emissions. I am an Information Systems Manager for a school system in western NC. How crazy is that, to be a computer professional who has no broadband access at home? Please help me to get access. Please see attachment.
City of Palo Alto, California
Comments of the City of Palo Alto, CA are attached
Motorola, Inc.
See attachment.
"James McConnaughey" <jmcconnaughey@ntia.doc.gov>
The attached describes an April 14, 2009, meeting with NTIA staff and
David Townsend & Mark Kennet.
Parul Desai <pdesai@mediaaccess.org>
Please find attached Comments on behalf of Media Access Project.
--
Sincerely,
Parul
Parul P. Desai
Vice President
Media Access Project
1625 K Street, NW
Suite 1000
Washington, DC 20006
p. 202-454-5683
f. 202-466-7656
www.mediaaccess.org
Mark Luker
attached
"Nicholas Miller" <nmiller@millervaneaton.com>
The statute says for RUS:
"No area of a project funded" may receive funding from TOPS
How will that allow coordinated projects?
Nicholas P. Miller
nmiller@millervaneaton.com
Miller & Van Eaton, P.L.L.C.
Suite 1000
1155 Connecticut Avenue. N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20036-4320
phone (202)785-0600
fax (202)785-1234
www.millervaneaton.com
This message is intended only for the use of the individual or entity to
which it is addressed, and may contain information that is privileged,
confidential and exempt from disclosure under applicable law. If you have
received this communication in error, please delete it and destroy any
copies, do not distribute it, and notify us immediately by email:
nmiller@millervaneaton.com
telephone: (202) 785 0600.
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
Please find attached written response from Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Governor's Office of Administration, related to joint RFI issuance from NTIA/RUS re [Docket No. 090309298-9299-01].
(resubmission)
Mark Savage
Attached are the comments and a proposed business model between a State Trust Land Management orginization and private industry to identify and build out significant broadband infastructure across Washington State.
Paul Van Hoesen
Attached is a proposal and comment on the NTIA TOP Sustainable Broadband Adoption Grant Program. This is the result of two years of field research in driving broadband adoption and economic and community development through the utilization of the Internet in rural west Tennessee. We have attached the program synopsis and comments as a file.
Sincerely,
Paul Van Hoesen
Director, cTechnology, Inc.
Pat Ford-Roegner
Please see attached file for comment.
"Gray, Todd" <tgray@dowlohnes.com>
Please find attached the Comments of the National EBS Association
(NESBA) in Docket No. 090309298-9299-01.
Respectfully submitted,
Todd D. Gray
Counsel for NESBA
Todd D. Gray
Attorney at Law
1200 New Hampshire Avenue, NW Suite 800
Washington, DC 20036-6802
T 202-776-2571
F 202-776-4571
E tgray@dowlohnes.com
www.dowlohnes.com
___________________________________________________
This message from the law firm of Dow Lohnes PLLC may contain
confidential or privileged information. If you received this
transmission in error, please call us immediately at (202)776-2000 or
contact us by E-mail at admin@dowlohnes.com. Disclosure or use of any
part of this message by persons other than the intended recipient is
prohibited.
Mayor David Pennington
Please see the attached document.
John Chuang
Please accept the comments of Cinergy MetroNet, Inc.
Kevin Manovich
Attached is NWT Enterprises, Inc. comment on the BTOP RFI
"Stephanie Mohl" <Stephanie.Mohl@heart.org>
Please find attached comments on behalf of the American Heart
Association and its American Stroke Association in response to your
request for written comments about the broadband initiatives in the
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
>
Stephanie Mohl
Government Relations Manager
______________________
American Heart Association/American Stroke Association
Office of Legislative and Regulatory Affairs
1150 Connecticut Ave., NW
Suite 300
Washington, DC 20036
202-785-7909
202-785-7950 (fax)
stephanie.mohl@heart.org
www.americanheart.org
Go Red For Women.
Join the movement to wipe out heart disease. Visit:
www.goredforwomen.org
Rey Ramsey
Please accept this updated version of our comments in place of the previous comments we submitted to RUS. Please remove the prior version, which included tracked changes.
Best,
Ken Eisner
Managing Director, OE Ventures
One Economy Corporation
202.256.2897 m
Mike Shelton <MShelton@zhone.com>
Dear NTIA and RUS administrators,
As part of the Telecommunications industry here in the U.S., let me ask that we carefully consider the use of the stimulus dollars being considered for our struggling industry. While the inflow of dollars will be greatly appreciated, and will obviously help generate more orders and therefore jobs here in the U.S., it would be mindful to make sure that the flow of funds does NOT flow right back out and over to foreign companies/interests.
Zhone Technologies, Inc. is one of the very few companies that still relies on our own technologies and workforce to produce a leading edge product. And we have been extremely successful at that. So let's make sure that those that have worked so hard receive their due rewards and are not left on the sidelines as the dollars slip out of our hands and into someone's that is not so deserving.
Thanks for your time.
Michael E. Shelton
Corporate Facilities Manager
Zhone Technologies, Inc.
Michael E. Shelton
Zhone Technologies, Inc.
Corporate Facilities Manager
Head of Security
(O) 510.777.7368
(F) 510.777.7488
"Tim Sloan" <tsloan@ntia.doc.gov>
Attached is a summary of a meeting between OPAD stafff and Connected
Nation, held on March 4, 2009. Please post the summary on the NTIA
website.
Dick Grayson
Please See Attachment
GAERON.MCCLURE@ey.com
Dear Dr. McGuire-Rivera,
Please find attached Ernst & Young's responses to RFI 090309298-9299-01,
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 Broadband Initiatives. The
attached file is in Microsoft Word 2003 format.
We hope that this response will prove useful to you in navigating the
challenging path forward in implementation of the Act's mandate. Please
do not hesitate to contact us with any questions, concerns, or requests
for clarification as to any of the content of the attached.
Best regards,
Gaeron McClure
Gaeron R. McClure | Partner | Transaction Advisory Services
Ernst & Young LLP
200 Plaza Drive, Secaucus, NJ 07094, United States of America
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U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Please see the attached letter from R. Bruce Josten, Executive Vice President for Government Affairs at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, urging the Rural Utilities Service to adopt rules that would award Rural Development Broadband Program grants and loans funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 on an expedited basis to reputable applicants who demonstrate that they have ready-to-go projects that will bring broadband to unserved areas.
Sincerely,
Jason Goldman
===
Jason D. Goldman
Counsel, Telecommunications & E-Commerce
Environment, Technology & Regulatory Affairs Division
U.S. Chamber of Commerce
1615 H Street, NW
Washington, DC 20062
Tel: 202-463-5949
Fax: 202-887-3445
E-mail: jgoldman@uschamber.com
"Chuck Parker" <chuck.parker@continuaalliance.org>
To Whom It May Concern:
Please find attached comments from the Continua Alliance directed to
criteria considerations for the BTOP grants.
We appreciate the opportunity to file on behalf of our 180 members.
Sincerely,
Chuck Parker
Executive Director
Continua Health Alliance
For further questions:
chuck.parker@continuaalliance.org
direct 781 724-8872
office 503 619-0867
Hardik Bhatt
The City of Chicago is filing the attached comments with the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (“NTIAâ€Â) of the U.S. Department of Commerce and the Rural Utilities Service (“RUSâ€Â) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture in response to the joint request for information on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 Broadband Initiatives.
Docket No. 090309298-9299-01
If you require further clarification on the City of Chicago's comments, please contact Dean Tsilikas, as he will be serving as the initial point of contact.
We thank you for this opportunity to provide our input, and look forward to the overall success of this important initiative.
"Randy Eckels" <randye@stingcom.com>
Please include me on the correspondence list for Broadband Technology
Opportunities Program.
Thanks,
Randy
Randy Eckels
Chief Operating Officer
Sting Communications
120 South 16th Street
Lebanon, PA 17042
(717) 270-1979 x4527
randye@stingcom.com
"Robert E. Smith" <robertesmith@anvilpartners.us>
Mr. Wilhelm and Ms. Brown:
I have extensive experience in wireless infrastructure (7 yrs) and in City
Management (7 yrs).
I have Master's degrees in Public Administration and in Urban & Regional
Planning, as well as AICP Planning Certification.
I believe I might be able to help the NTIA with the difficult tasks ahead,
and would like to find a position where I could make a difference.
Towards those ends I've attached a resume and references.
Would there be someone I could contact to discuss this further?
Thanks for your time and consideration.
RES
Anvil Partners logo.jpgRobert E. Smith, AICP
314 North 5th Street
Wilmington, NC 28401
910-789-0104
www.AnvilPartners.US
Member APA, ICMA, ASPA www.linkedin.com/in/robertesmith
Puerto Rico Telephone Company, Inc.
See attachment.
Scott Lazenby, City Manager, City of Sandy Oregon
Give priority to existing municipal ISPs that have already taken on the burden of serving unserved/underserved areas. Consider distributing a portion of the funds to these ISPs by formula (based on population in the area served). See attached.
eXtension Foundation
Please find attached comments pertaining to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 Broadband Initiatives. These comments are provided from the eXtension Foundation, a national Internet-based educational network providing 24/7/365 access to objective, science-based information from land-grant universities and partners nationwide. It is an integral part of and complements the community-based Cooperative Extension System.
Frank Ohrtman
Only wireless solutions can support one-to-one computing for our students and time is of the essence in deploying the broadband networks proposed in the ARRA. See http://www.lastmileonline.com/index/webapp-stories-action?id=412
Christopher Mitchell
Comments attached.
Phillip Brown
Comments relating to P.L. 111-5 and P.L. 110-385 are attached.
Barbvara Kasoff
April 10, 2009
Ms. Anna Gomez
Deputy Assistant Secretary
National Telecommunications and Information Administration
1401 Constitution Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20230
Dear Deputy Assistant Secretary Gomez:
On behalf of Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP), representing more than a half million business owners and women in business, we urge NTIA to consider the critical implications of broadband deployment for small and women-owned businesses.
Businesses of all sizes have been negatively impacted by the recession, but small businesses – a vital engine of economic growth - have been hit especially hard. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act represents an unprecedented opportunity to help address long-standing challenges that so many American small businesses face. For many small businesses, the road to economic recovery requires access to new and emerging technologies such as broadband. If deployed in a rapid, efficient, and transparent way; NTIA funding will play a crucial role in making broadband more accessible to small businesses owners and will help ensure that the United States can thrive in a 21st century economy.
Specifically, expanding access to advanced telecommunications technologies and services via broadband will spark the creation of new service providers, innovations, and exciting applications for which small businesses depend on to thrive. Such advancements are the most vital and efficient way to deliver information, services, and products such as e-commerce transactions including customer credit-card purchases, online/real-time chat customer assistance and supplier-partner transactions. These services are important touch-points for small businesses to engage customers, suppliers and partners beyond traditional person-to-person, point-of-sale interactions in an Internet global economy. Likewise, small businesses are increasingly seeking global opportunities via broadband connections to reach markets, customers and suppliers outside of traditional local and regional centers.
To that end, we strongly encourage the NTIA to quickly, efficiently, and transparently disperse the stimulus funding to state and local governments so that unserved and underserved small businesses can get on the road to recovery. While financial support and leadership from the federal government is important, state and local governments have the best understanding of what their communities need, can assist in transparent and accountable delivery of broadband, and are in the best position to create effective public-private partnerships to meet specific needs by leveraging private-sector expertise in network construction and management. The best way to gain the benefits of stimulus funding is to ensure that broadband gets to the unserved areas first. That is why we strongly recommend disseminating the funds through an existing model of state-based mapping. It is imperative that these much needed resources get dispersed quickly, without adding network conditions or requirements that will delay or discourage participation by the most capable providers.
We are excited about the prospect of bringing broadband accessibility to all small business owners and are grateful for NTIA’s hard work in ensuring the grants process is fair and efficient. Delivery of next-generation broadband services can not wait – we thank you in advance considering the needs of small businesses as you look forward to spurring economic growth through advanced telecommunications technology.
Sincerely,
Barbara Kasoff
President/CEO
Women Impacting Public Policy
"Close, Colin" <CClose@srcity.org>
Please add me to your distribution list for updates about BTOP.
Thank you
Colin
COLIN CLOSE | Research & Program Coordinator
Police Department | 965 Sonoma Avenue | Santa Rosa, CA 95404
Tel. (707) 543-3556 | Fax (707) 543-3557
cclose@srcity.org
Bruce McFadden
See the document submitted below.
"James Wasilewski" <jwasilewski@ntia.doc.gov>
This correspondence came into the Office of the Assistant Secretary on
March 4, 2009.
James V. Wasilewski
Office of Congressional Affairs
National Telecommunications and Information Administration
U.S. Department of Commerce
(202) 482-2476
>>> Ebony Griffin 3/4/2009 11:20:30 AM >>>
Good Morning,
Please see the attached.
Ebony S. Griffin
Administrative Assistant for the Senior Advisor
U.S. Department of Commerce
National Telecommunications and Information Administration
Assistant Secretary's Office
202-482-0279
"Kendra Keller" <kendrak@fb.org>
The American Farm Bureau's Comments are attached. Please respond to
this email if you have any trouble with the attachment.
"Pat Groot" <pgroot@co.fluvanna.va.us>
Ms. McGuire-Rivera
Please consider our attached comments as you develop final guidelines.
Document provided as a PDF and in Word 2003.
Pat
Patricia A. Groot,
Grants Administrator
County of Fluvanna
132 Main Street
Palmyra VA 22963
434.591.1910 x 1081 voice
434.591.1911 fax
711 VA Relay
www.co.fluvanna.va.us
Jim Baller
Ex Parte Letter to Secretaries Locke and Vilsack
Rim Semiconductor
see attachment
The Public Safety Spectrum Trust Corporation
See attached file.
Luisa Handem
See attachment
Charles Benton
Attached
Kevin Anderson
Please see attached
Lawrence A. Jacobson
See attached.
Pages