The Blog

News today about the round 2 BTOP/BIP grants – with a speech by the President:

All told, these investments will benefit tens of millions of Americans — more than 685,000 businesses, 900 health care facilities, and 2,400 schools around the — across the country.  And studies have shown that when communities adopt broadband access, it can lead to hundreds of thousands of new jobs.  Broadband can remove geographic barriers between patients and their doctors.  It can connect our kids to the digital skills and 21st century education required for the jobs of the future.  And it can prepare America to run on clean energy by helping us upgrade to a smarter, stronger, more secure electrical grid.

A favorite is broadband to Western Mass:

This $45.4 million grant with an additional $26.2 million applicant-provided match will bring affordable, high-speed Internet access to residents and businesses in western Massachusetts by constructing over 1,300 miles of new fiber. Massachusetts Technology Park estimates that this project will create hundreds of jobs upfront and help drive economic development in the community that creates jobs for years to come. Over 1 million people stand to benefit from this grant, along with 44,000 businesses and over 700 community institutions.

Very exciting.