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$90
Million
in Federal Grants to Improve Broadband Access in Iowa
Posted 5 July
2010
Seven federal grants
totaling more than $90 million that will enhance broadband and fiber
network connectivity in Iowa. The funds come from the American Recovery
and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).
“This is an exciting time for Iowa,” Governor Culver said. “These
grants will enable Iowans to aspire to the next level of opportunities
utilizing broadband and further the possibilities for Iowa education,
health, safety, transportation, and economics. This money will not only
create hundreds of jobs during the deployment phase, but it will also
bolster these Iowa communities for many years to come. It will be a
lasting legacy for the ARRA bill.”
The grants awarded are as follows:
- Iowa Communications
Network will receive a $16.2 million grant from the Department of
Commerce with an additional $7.6 million applicant-provided match to
upgrade an existing 3,000-mile network with direct high-speed
connections for thousands of community institutions. Iowa
Communications Network’s project stands to benefit over 4,500 community
institutions. Of the 99 counties in the state, 17 are economically
distressed and will be served by this project. Approximately 100 jobs
will be created initially.
- Iowa Health System
will receive a $17.7 million grant from the Department of Commerce with
an additional $9.9 million applicant-provided match to upgrade and
enhance the health system’s existing fiber network that provides
connections to over 200 healthcare facilities. In addition, the
funding will facilitate more access to broadband service for residents
and businesses statewide. High quality broadband is very useful
for the moving of medically important data. Approximately 100 jobs will
be created initially.
- The Farmers’
Telephone Company of Riceville will receive a $9,367,926 loan and
$9,367,927 grant from USDA and $4,683,963 in private investment to
construct a fiber-to-the-premises network, allowing Farmers Telephone
Company to provide greater than 20Mbps broadband access in the exchange
areas of Little Cedar, New Haven, Plymouth, Riceville, Marble Rock,
Greene, St. Ansgar and Stacyville. Approximately 250 jobs will be
created initially.
- Grand River Mutual
Telephone Corporation will receive a $2,788,293 loan and $6,506,016
grant from USDA. The funding will provide broadband service to
the towns of Lorimor, Murray, Thayer, and their surrounding rural areas
via a fiber-to-the-home network.
- Ellsworth Cooperative
Telephone Association will receive s $1,580,609 loan and $3,688,087
grant from USDA. The Ellsworth Fiber-to-the-Home Broadband
Deployment Project will provide high speed Internet service in the
communities of Ellsworth, Garden City, and their surrounding rural
areas via a fiber-to-the-home network.
- Breda Telephone Corp.
will receive a $783,572 loan, $1,828,337 grant from USDA and $2,611,909
in private investment from USDA. This project will allow high
speed Internet and video services to reach all of the customers in the
Breda and Lidderdale exchanges, in addition to their present landline
phone services.
- Grand River Mutual
Telephone Corporation will receive a $6,081,258 loan and $14,189,603
grant from USDA. The funding will provide broadband service to
the towns of Corydon, Millerton, Allerton, and Lineville, IA, and
Powersville, Mo., and their surrounding rural areas.
The federal Broadband
Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP), established through the U.S.
Department of Commerce National Telecommunications and Information
Administration, was appropriated $4.7 billion for federal awards to
eligible entities. Guidelines for BTOP, created by the American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act), is to expand
access to broadband services in the United States by awarding grants
for: deploying broadband infrastructure in unserved and underserved
areas, enhancing broadband capacity at public computer centers, and
promoting sustainable broadband adoption. For more information
about BTOP visit www.broadbandusa.gov.
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