The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), more commonly known as the Stimulus Act, allocated $7.2 billion for broadband projects. Administrated by the US Department of Agriculture Rural Utilities Service (RUS) Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP) and National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP), the first round of funding was announced through a Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) in July 2009.
On January 15, 2010 RUS announced the final round of broadband stimulus funding. This NOFA makes $2.2 Billion available, including $1.7 billion for Last Mile projects, up to $300 million for Middle Mile projects, up to $100 million for Satellite projects, as well as any funds not committed to Last Mile or Middle Mile and up to $5 Million for Rural Library and Technical Assistance projects. Additionally, $95 Million is kept in reserve and funds may be repooled from one category to another. This paper distills the critical details of the January 15, 2010 RUS NOFA communities and organizations need in order to develop strategies for applying for this final round of funding from BIP. Additional, this paper outlines how this round differs from the first round and how it affects applicants.
The full paper can be downloaded as a PDF on the right.