Join the Mailing ListInternet2 Stimulus Legislation Community Resource Guide

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) was signed into law by President Obama on February 17, 2009. It enacts $787 billion in appropriations and tax cuts over 2009 and 2010. This Resource Guide has been compiled for the benefit of the Internet2 community. In this guide you will find:

Join the mailing list for additional updates as they become available. To view previously sent e-mail updates and to listen to previous briefings, please visit the Stimulus Wiki.

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Stimulus Briefings

Public policy experts, Gary Bachula and Tim Lance, hosted a series of briefings for Internet2 members and partners in 2009 to provide details of the bill as it relates to the R&E community. Briefings have been suspended until further notice. In the meantime, please visit the Briefing Archive.

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ARRA Legislation

On the ARRA Legislation page, you will find a summary of the bill overview, and a more detailed summary prepared by the House Appropriations Committee, as well as a summary compiled by Congressional Quarterly. You will also find the entire Act and "Conference Report" accompanying the Act. Additionally, you will find Broadband, Health IT, and Science and Technology Provisions.

Broadband USA

The U.S. Departments of Commerce and Agriculture have released Notices of Funding Availability in the second and final round of ARRA funding for national broadband expansion under the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) and Rural Utilities Services (RUS) program. An additional $4.8 billion has been made available to help bridge the technological divide, boost economic growth, and create jobs. Application processes have also been simplified to ease application and better target program resources.

The portal to apply for broadband funding is available at Broadband USA.

Internet2 provided feedback to the NTIA on its first round funding in an effort to improve the process for Round 2:

  • Internet2 Community Comment Filing to the NTIA regarding BTOP Round 2, November30, 2009 (PDF)

FCC’s National Broadband Plan

The Broadband Initiatives funded under the auspices of the ARRA legislation seek to accelerate broadband deployment across the United States. The ARRA authorizes the FCC to create a National Broadband Plan that “shall seek to ensure that all people of the United States have access to broadband capability and shall establish benchmarks for meeting that goal.” The FCC is currently working in coordination with the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and specifically, in conjunction with the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) to develop this plan, which is due to Congress by March 2010.

The Internet2 Community has been actively engaged in providing feedback to the FCC as it develops the National Broadband Plan. Official filings include:

  • Internet2 Community FCC filing for the National Broadband Plan, January 27, 2010 (PDF)
  • Schools, Health, Libraries Coalition (SHLB)-led Community FCC filing for the National Broadband Plan, January 27, 2010 (PDF)
  • Comments on Research, December 8, 2009 (PDF)
  • Comments on minimum Broadband requirements, August 31, 2009 (PDF)
  • EDUCAUSE, Internet2 & ACUTA comments on development of National Broadband Plan, June 8, 2009 (PDF)

Internet2 and BTOP Opportunities

The Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) administered by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) in the U.S. Department of Commerce was funded in February 2009 with $4.7B by the ARRA to enhance broadband connectivity to underserved areas and community anchor institutions. The NTIA originally envisioned three rounds of funding but has now narrowed the program to two rounds of funding. The second and final round applications are due on March 15, 2010. Based on the recently released NOFA, Internet2 sees this as a historic opportunity for the federal government to invest in infrastructure key to ensuring anchor institutions have access to the quality and quantity of broadband access they require to transform education, research, heath care, public safety, and government.

Learn more about Internet2’s proposed BTOP planning.

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