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Merit Stimulus Blog Merit Stimulus Blog 6.15.09     By Gregory Monroe - June 15, 2009 11:41 am 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. This past week delivered a couple newsworthy updates. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) released a Broadband Stimulus document that contains the latest details of the Rural Utility Service (RUS) program. And the new schools, libraries and health care coalition reported last week officially went public in Washington. First and foremost, we'll jump right in to the USDA RUS doc and what its implications may mean for your organization. The USDA RUS document serves as the main source of information detailing the RUS Broadband program on the Rural Development website. (Rural Development is a department of the USDA.) It is rather short, two pages, and contains some contradictions to previous statements issued by both USDA and National Telecommunication and Information Administration (NTIA) personnel. Aside from these distinctions, there is also a provision which includes a plan for workshops to be held across the nation after the Notice of Funds Availability (NOFA) is released. The main item which has changed deals with the NOFA. Previously, both the NTIA and USDA RUS maintained that each organization would issue separate NOFAs. However, the document now states that the two programs will publish a joint NOFA in concert with the FCC. The NOFA is expected no later than July 1st—though this date is of course subject to change based on past delays. According to speculation, the decision to roll both NOFAs for the NTIA and RUS into one document and release date has the prospective applicant’s best interest in mind. A joint NOFA provides more foresight and flexibility in the decision-making process for an entity seeking funds. The potential dilemma avoided is an applicant forced to prepare a proposal for one program while waiting for the eligibility requirements of the other—only to find out that the second program best suits their project. In this manner, the news also indicates that partnerships and coalitions between traditional rural providers and non-rural providers will be highly encouraged, if not necessary. The document also reiterates the RUS program's priorities: "projects that will deliver end users a choice of more than one service provider; projects that provide service to the highest proportion of rural residents that do not have access to broadband service; projects from current and former RUS Title II borrowers; Projects that can commence immediately upon approval." The Title II borrower preference above (which refers to incumbent RUS loan and grant recipients) should not dissuade any potential applicant as our sources tell us that despite this preference, the RUS expects significantly fewer applicants than the NTIA and therefore will have an excess (relatively speaking) of funds made available to non-incumbents. Finally, toward the end of the document program workshops are mentioned briefly: "a series of workshops will be held jointly with NTIA across the United States in July 2009. These workshops will explain the program to prospective applicants including the program requirements and how to apply. The dates and locations of the workshops will be posted at www.usda.gov/rus/telecom and www.recovery.gov." Check back for the latest updates on these workshops as they are expected to be released soon. June 11th marked the official launch of the Schools, Health and Libraries Coalition. In addition to serving as a networking platform for a broad spectrum of organizations with a stake education IT, the mission of the Coalition is centered in the advancement of the Community Anchor approach to ARRA broadband stimulus funds. In the Community Anchor model, the ARRA funding will be used to ensure that all community anchor institutions—such as schools, libraries and health care facilities—in an un-served or underserved community are connected with high-speed broadband. These community anchor institutions will then serve as 'jumping-off' points to connect business and residencies in the near future. The Coalition believes this is the best use of broadband funds and the ideal first step in implementing a national broadband strategy. Not only will this ensure connectivity for the institutions with the highest need for high-speed broadband—Internet access is and will continue to be increasingly essential for schools, libraries and health care facilities to function in the 21st century—but it will serve all sectors of society, providing the broadest economic impact. The Members of the Coalition include the American Association of Community Colleges, American Hospital Association, American Library Association, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, EDUCAUSE, Internet2, Microsoft and many, many others. The Coalition is currently seeking additional members and supporters. The Coalition has published a mission statement and has issued a press release on their launch. Thanks for reading and have a great week! Post a Comment   Blog Archive   Merit Stimulus Blog Merit Stimulus Blog 11.16.09 By Gregory Monroe - November 16, 2009 9:50 am Merit Stimulus Blog Merit Stimulus Blog 11.12.09 By Gregory Monroe - November 12, 2009 12:35 pm Merit Stimulus Blog Merit Stimulus Blog 11.3.09 By Gregory Monroe - November 03, 2009 12:21 pm Merit Network Blog Members in the News 10.30 By Brian Warkoczeski - October 29, 2009 4:28 pm Merit Stimulus Blog Merit Stimulus Blog 10.26.09 By Gregory Monroe - October 26, 2009 10:42 am Merit Stimulus Blog Merit Stimulus Blog 10.19.09 By Gregory Monroe - October 19, 2009 10:58 am Merit Network Blog Members in the News 10.08 By Brian Warkoczeski - October 08, 2009 1:03 pm Merit Stimulus Blog Merit Stimulus Blog 10.6.09 By Gregory Monroe - October 06, 2009 1:19 pm Merit Stimulus Blog Merit Stimulus Blog 9.29.09 By Gregory Monroe - September 29, 2009 12:33 pm Merit Stimulus Blog Merit Stimulus Blog 9.21.09 By Gregory Monroe - September 21, 2009 12:35 pm Merit Stimulus Blog Merit Stimulus Blog 9.16.09 By Gregory Monroe - September 16, 2009 12:41 pm Merit Stimulus Blog Merit Stimulus Blog 9.8.09 By Gregory Monroe - September 08, 2009 11:25 am Merit Stimulus Blog Merit Stimulus Blog 8.24.09 By Gregory Monroe - August 24, 2009 10:36 am Merit Stimulus Blog Merit Stimulus Blog 8.17.09 By Gregory Monroe - August 17, 2009 12:09 pm Merit Network Blog Members in the News 8.14 By Brian Warkoczeski - August 14, 2009 9:14 am Professional Learning MJTS Call for Presentations By Brian Warkoczeski - August 06, 2009 12:53 pm Merit Stimulus Blog Members in the News 7.24 By Brian Warkoczeski - July 24, 2009 12:47 pm Merit Stimulus Blog Merit Stimulus Blog 7.21.09 By Gregory Monroe - July 21, 2009 11:29 am Merit Network Blog Members in the News 7.16 By Brian Warkoczeski - July 16, 2009 11:05 am Merit Stimulus Blog Merit Stimulus Blog 7.13.09 By Gregory Monroe - July 13, 2009 11:06 am Merit Stimulus Blog Merit Stimulus Blog 7.7.09 By Gregory Monroe - July 07, 2009 11:19 am Merit Stimulus Blog Merit Stimulus Blog 7.2.09 By Gregory Monroe - July 02, 2009 11:55 am Merit Network Blog Members in the News 6.30 By Brian Warkoczeski - June 30, 2009 4:20 pm Merit Network Blog NANOG46 Videos Available By Brian Warkoczeski - June 25, 2009 9:31 am Merit Stimulus Blog Merit Stimulus Blog 6.23.09 By Gregory Monroe - June 23, 2009 11:54 am Professional Learning Archived Merit Member Conference videos now available By Brian Warkoczeski - June 17, 2009 9:43 am Professional Learning Merit Member Conference Concludes By Brian Warkoczeski - June 12, 2009 3:57 pm Professional Learning Day Two of Merit Member Conference Begins By Brian Warkoczeski - June 12, 2009 10:32 am Professional Learning Dale Dougherty Brings Ingenuity to Merit Member Conference By Brian Warkoczeski - June 11, 2009 2:47 pm Professional Learning Merit Member Conference Extra! 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