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Merit Stimulus Blog Merit Stimulus Blog 9.8.09     By Gregory Monroe - September 08, 2009 11:25 am Greetings! Welcome back to Merit Network's continuing coverage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009. This post is just one of many bi-weekly updates intended to keep you informed on the latest developments in funding opportunities for cyber-infrastructure, research and education. This week we will update you on the current state of ARRA Broadband grant programs, providing a summary of application information from the first round of funding for NTIA's Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) and RUS's Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP). We will also cover the latest measures being taken to improve subsequent funding rounds and the broadband availability data mapping process. As many of you likely know, the deadlines for submitting an application to virtually any ARRA Broadband grant program have passed. That includes the National Science Foundation's Major Research Instrumentation Program (MRI) and Academic Research Infrastructure Program (ARI) as well as BTOP and BIP. The latter are slated to extend two more rounds of funding, but it is our understanding at this time that the National Science Foundation will not produce any further solicitations for cyberinfrastructure. The NTIA is soon expected to produce a formal request for comments on the Notice of Funds Availability (NOFA) for the first round of funding. Those who experienced the first round of funding assessed the application process anywhere from moderately difficult to impossible. The NTIA welcomes your ideas, complaints, problems, suggestions for improvements, or any other input you may have. While we await such a formal request there are various activities underway to influence the next round of funding. On August 24th, the Senate Appropriations Committee (SAC) held an ARRA Oversight Hearing in Hawaii. David Lassner, Vice President of Information Technology for University of Hawaii, testified at the hearing on the unique difficulties the state of Hawaii faces in their efforts to provide adequate access to all residents. He also placed these difficulties in the context of challenges he perceives for the entire country. In addition, the Senate Appropriations Committee also accepted written testimony from the Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition (SHLBC). The SHLB Coalition is planning to carry its message about needed changes in the NOFA for anchor institutions to additional members of Congress, as well as NTIA officials, in the month of September. Merit Network is a member of the SHLB Coalition and will continue to provide further updates regarding the Coalition's efforts. The same day the Senate Appropriations Committee heard testimony from Lassner and the SHLB Coalition, the NTIA and RUS issued a press release detailing first round submissions for the BTOP and BIP programs. A preliminary analysis of applicant-reported data shows the two programs received almost 2,200 applications requesting nearly $28 billion in funding for proposed broadband projects reaching all 50 U.S. states and territories and the District of Columbia. When including roughly $10.5 billion in matching funds committed by the applicants, there are over $38 billion in proposed broadband projects. This press release provides further detail. In the coming weeks, NTIA and RUS will post a searchable database online containing summaries of all applications received. For those of you interested in the application Merit Network submitted to the NTIA and RUS for consideration in the first round of funding, on September 29th, Don Welch, Merit's President/CEO will provide an update and overview at the annual Merit Joint Technical Staff meeting (MJTS). The MJTS meeting will be webcast. The link to the webcast will be placed on Merit's MJTS page the day of the event, September 29th, 2009. You can also register to attend the meeting here. 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 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 Merit Stimulus Blog Merit Stimulus Blog 6.15.09 By Gregory Monroe - June 15, 2009 11:41 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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