NTIA taking meetings for broadband stimulus grant programs

The National Telecommunication and Information Administration (NTIA) has announced its going to hold meetings with interested parties (i.e. people who want the money) March 2 to talk about the stimulus package broadband grant programs. NTIA is in charge of distributing $4.7 billion in broadband grant monies.

Meetings will be held at the NTIA's headquarters in Washington D.C. and will give interested parties the opportunity to discuss implementation of the Broadband Grant Programs as described in the stimulus package passed earlier this month.

Under the Recovery Act, the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) has $4.7 billion for eligible parties to develop and expand broadband services to rural and under-served areas and improve access to broadband by public safety agencies. Of that, $250 million is available for programs that encourage sustainable adoption of broadband services, and there's at least $200 million marked to upgrade technology and capacity at public computing centers including community colleges and public libraries.

Plus there's up to $350 million for the development and maintenance of statewide broadband inventory maps.

For more:
- NTIA's official notice in the Federal Register. PDF [1].