Merit Stimulus Blog
Merit Stimulus Blog 6.1.09
By Gregory Monroe - June 01, 2009 12:56 pm
Greetings,
Welcome back to Merit Network's continuing coverage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).
This post is just one of many weekly updates intended to keep you informed on the latest developments in funding opportunities for cyber-infrastructure, research and education.
The main item on our docket this week is a discussion regarding the latest Federal Communications Commission (FCC) report on a rural broadband strategy, which was released this past Wednesday. We'll also keep you posted on the latest from the National Association of Rural Utilities Commissioners (NARUC) and their plans for stimulus dollars, and point out another way to trace your tax dollars at work as well.
The FCC created a small splash last week as it made public a report it submitted to congress on May 22. Bringing Broadband to Rural America, A Report on a Rural Broadband discharges two legislative mandates to the FCC.
The 2008 Farm Bill required the FCC to issue a report "describing a comprehensive rural broadband strategy" to Congress. As the ARRA solicits a complete national broadband plan from the Commission by February 2010, Bringing Broadband to Rural America acts as "a prelude to, and a building block for a national broadband plan [and] as a compendium of information that will be useful in the development of the national broadband plan."
Much of the report conveys the same information and rhetoric we are all used to hearing from the FCC and the Feds about broadband. I think anyone reading this post need not be convinced of the immense benefits of ubiquitous broadband. The report does a nice job qualifying the necessity and scope of a national broadband initiative, leveraging past historic government-sponsored infrastructure projects, such as the postal service, subsidized newspaper transmittal, the interstate highway system, and perhaps more apt for allusion, NSFnet and the original Internet backbone.
Of particular interest this past week is what the press has chosen to pluck out from the 83 page report and underscore for the public. The FCC's consenting opinions contained in the report reference or counter the wide range of Public Comments filed for the Commission. Perhaps paralleling such diversity, it seemed that every article I came across emphasized a different issue from the on-going national broadband debate the report addressed.
Some decided that acting Chairman Copps' (by whom the report is authored in the first person) statements on interagency coordination are the hallmark of Bringing Broadband to Rural America. The report centers success in streamlining government programs and collaboration between all agencies involved in national broadband initiatives. This includes cooperation between State, local and Federal agencies, as well as the coordination of programs that perhaps would not be immediately involved in broadband deployment, such as transportation infrastructure upgrades in which the cost of digging fiber lines could be shared or incurred through road builds, or smart grid technology projects with a similar dual-pronged potential.
Others thought the crucial aspect of the FCC report was its consideration of technology-neutral provisions. One article praised the foresight of Copps and the Commission embodied in statements referencing technology in the report. Copps provides reassurance that the country is heading in the right direction when he voices an understanding that "every community-specific area presents its own set of unique challenges (especially in rural areas)" and therefore should be addressed on a case-by-case tech-neutral basis.
The report is consistently cited for Copps' definitive statements regarding net-neutrality. Apparently closing the book on any possible debate over future openness conditions, the report states that "openness is not another bromide, but a principal we must tenaciously observe." Copps, in the report, goes on to maintain his own advocacy for a "fifth principle of nondiscrimination," claiming "such a principle is particularly important in a rural context where a citizen may have only one option for broadband Internet access."
And finally, another aspect of the report which gained special attention is the consideration it gives to video programming. Copps concludes that "video programming could become an issue that has an impact on the potential competitiveness of the service offerings of rural broadband providers and thus on rural broadband deployment."
Upon reading this statement I first remarked how foreign it seemed from my own perspective--as I have been tracking stimulus dollars in the name of education, health care and public safety--to encounter a push to ensure those who currently have inadequate access with the ability to watch Youtube clips or TV shows on the new Hulu Desktop over the Internet.
There has been much discussion pertaining to developing demand for broadband deployment in areas where high-speed access has been unavailable for so long. Video programming will begin to address this issue and ensure that any broadband initiative geared toward underserved and unserved regions will have taken into account necessary planning for increased bandwidth usage in the future.
Of course a video programming component in a national broadband plan also helps us imagine the amazing applications of video capabilities in the realm of research and education: video conferencing in classrooms across the nation from elementary schools to universities will enhance the educational experience for students across the nation; the practice of telemedicine, even in its infancy, is revolutionizing contemporary healthcare.
Bringing Broadband to Rural America also addresses (in more detail than is practical to include here): technological considerations, middle mile or special access, backhaul considerations, spectrum access, inter-carrier compensation, access to poles and rights of way, as well as broadband mapping and demand-side development.
In other news, the National Association of Rural Utilities Commissioners (NARUC) formally resumed its push to have State governments take the lead in distributing ARRA broadband grant funds. In a letter addressed to Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and other NTIA and RUS officials made public Friday, NARUC detailed its previous proposal in which each state would "opt-in" to receive approximately $36 million in ARRA broadband funds on a "use or lose" basis.
In the NARUC model, State governments would take the lead in awarding ARRA grants. As the NTIA and RUS released grant distribution timelines with dates that were later than expected, it appears NARUC sensed an opportunity to stake their claim once more. The letter argued that their solution will expedite the overwhelming grant award process that has already fallen behind schedule.
Last week, some of you may recall a reference to Recovery.gov, the website created by the Obama Administration in an effort to provide an unprecedented degree of transparency for ARRA funded projects.
Skeptics have criticized the site for being neither clear nor informative. The new Agency Recovery Plans (arguably the most informative feature of the site) were only added in the last two weeks, and many will encounter a bit more difficulty than anticipated when searching for the Recovery Plan for a specific agency.
In a recent twist of irony, Vice President Joe Biden accidently cheered what he mistook for his team's website, Recovery.org. In many ways the site seems to pick up where Recovery.gov leaves off. The privately-run Recovery.org provides a comprehensive listing of stimulus projects through an easily accessible, state-by-state breakdown.
Just in case you forget, there will be a new link on Merit's Stimulus Legislation Guide with a connection to Recovery.org. The Stimulus Legislation Guide is host to a wealth of helpful material and links to other ARRA programs related to cyber-infrastructure, research and education. Be sure to check back periodically throughout the week for the latest information as it becomes available.
Thanks for reading and have a great week!
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