Grant Guidelines and Old Man Winter

By Bruce

Yesterday the Agriculture and Commerce departments released guidelines for receiving a portion of the $7.2 billion set aside for high-speed Internet expansion in the federal stimulus. From July 14 to August 14, private companies, non-profits, and state and local governments can apply, with the winners expected to be announced in November.

Covered in the guidelines is the required speed of at least 768 kilobits/second downstream and 200 kilobits/second upstream. Underserved areas are defined as having no more than 50% broadband penetration in households.

While any progress is good progress when it comes to bringing high-speed Internet to more Americans, the timing of the grant awarding means that many projects—especially those in the northeast—could be delayed until the ground has thawed enough for trenches to be dug. This, unfortunately, might slow job creation, which was one of the major goals of the stimulus plan.