States Gather Information for Stimulus Bids, Officials Say

States are scrambling to gather information on their broadband needs to be ready for the Notice of Funding Availability connected to broadband stimulus, which is expected before July, said officials of several state utility commissions and governors’ offices. As the NTIA and the RUS work on rules for handing out the $7.2 billion in broadband stimulus funds, some states with large swaths of rural areas have already nailed down substantial amounts of connectivity information.

Texas’ Agriculture Department and Public Utility Commission, working together to devise an application plan, recently announced a Request for Information. It asks the state’s providers to outline their footprint and the speeds they offer. While the state’s PUC has dealt with some broadband deployment in the past, the Agriculture Department was included due its knowledge of rural parts of the state, said Bryan Black, spokesman for the Agriculture Department.

The chance for providers to weigh in offers an important perspective, and something that will give highly specific broadband information that will be useful when applying for stimulus funds, said telecom consultant P.J. Louis. “The stuff Texas is doing is a very proactive step,” said Louis. “They are trying to determine how best to stimulate broadband. This is not a request for proposals, they are just gathering information”.

Pennsylvania recently announced a series of public meetings to collect comments on how to connect some of the state’s underserved. The Department of Community and Economic Development and Office of Administration will be leading the charge and reviewing the comments to come up with a application plan for NTIA and/or RUS, following the NOFAs.

In Mississippi, broadband plans will be running through Governor Haley Barbour’s office, which created a broadband task force in April. “Due to the nature of the program and the tight time frame” the task force is now reviewing proposals on how submit a single application to meet the state’s needs as well as the goals of the stimulus package, said the governor, a Republican. The task force will be selecting proposals to give in-person presentations in the near future.

Some states have a jump on mapping efforts due to past initiatives to increase the reach of broadband. A California taskforce begun in 2006 found that 96 percent of those in the state have access to wired broadband. It produced a 20-page list of communities without high-speed access, placing the California among the most well- prepared to begin broadband deployment.

Alabama, through a 2008 state-funded initiative, began broadband mapping to determine where the biggest gaps in service lie. The state’s broadband map is scheduled to be completed by May 31 and is being compiled by CostQuest Associates, said Kathy Johnson, director of Alabama’s Broadband Initiative. Johnson said she’s not sure which specific areas are the most lacking in broadband but expects some of the more agriculture-heavy regions are in that category. Johnson will likely continue in her role as overseer of the state’s broadband development while the federal funds are given out, said a spokesman for the state’s utility commission.

Despite some serious efforts to create state broadband plans, the role of the states in the whole process is still up in the air. Some worry that including their input is a conflict of interest since states will be applying for the money alongside cities and counties. Still, most think states should be able to provide prioritized lists to the federal agencies doling out the money because this can help facilitate the process.

“I think it’s states’ role to assist in the effort,” said Johnson. “We know our needs and efforts better than anyone else. Federal agencies don’t know what Alabama’s 67 counties are faced with.”