The folks at Connected Nation sent me the following news – but the best part is that they plan to make these tools available in Minnesota too (maybe we’ll see it this week). The Connected Nation folks are smart. They know how to appeal to legislators. So I have every reason to think that this info is exactly what the NTIA/RUS want to see. I hope that having this tool in Minnesota will make it easier for folks in Minnesota to apply for funds.
Connected Nation Develops New Data Tools for Tapping Broadband Stimulus Dollars
Connect Ohio and Connected Tennessee’s New Interactive Mapping Tool and Downloadable Census Block Data Will Help Applicants Compete for Stimulus Funds.
Washington, DC: Connected Nation, with the help of ArcGIS technology from ESRI, has developed a new interactive on-line mapping tool to equip states with Census Block level broadband data and arm applicants with required data for broadband infrastructure funds now available through the U.S. American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).
This new interactive tool will launch at 4 p.m. EST through the Connected Tennessee and Connect Ohio on-line broadband map sites and will allow the general public to click on any Census Block within those states to obtain the number of households served and unserved by a broadband provider within that Census Block.
In addition, Connected Nation has posted on-line the downloadable datasets of broadband availability information by Census Block.
Such accurate, granular broadband availability information is required to complete the RUS and NTIA broadband infrastructure grant applications. The data tools will provide state leaders, community advocates and providers in Ohio and Tennessee with public access to this timely information, offering applicants in these states a comprehensive, Census Block level dataset of broadband availability.
Currently, approximately $7 billion in stimulus funds through the Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and the Department of Agriculture’s Rural Utilities Service (RUS) have been designated to help expand broadband access to unserved and underserved communities across the United States.
These funds are available through the NTIA’s Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) and the RUS’s Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP).
“Connected Nation’s interactive mapping tool and Census Block data sets will give applicants the building blocks for a strong federal proposal to expand broadband access,” said Connected Nation’s chief analyst Laura Taylor. “States with Census Block level broadband data will be better positioned to take advantage of stimulus funds.”
To learn more about the interactive tool and data sets visit http://www.connectedtennessee.org, http://www.connectohio.org or http://www.connectednation.org.
To learn more about how Connected Nation can help states visit www.connectednation.org/policy or e-mail at broadbandstimulus@connectednation.org.