EDA – Steve Blum's Blog

Federal agencies begin to sing the same broadband policy music, according to NTIA report

15 February 2019 by Steve Blum
broadband, EDA, NTIA, RUS, usda

There’s more coherency and cooperation amongst federal broadband development planning and programs, according to a report just released by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration. Once you get past the love letter penned to president Donald Trump by a couple of his cabinet secretaries, it’s a good overview of how at least some parts of the federal bureaucracy are trying to coordinate broadband policy.

The need for better execution is clear. The report notes the gap between urban and rural broadband availability – 2% of urban residents lack access to fixed service at a minimum speed of 25 Mbps down and 3 Mbps up.… More

Federal broadband funding guide is mostly old news

3 October 2015 by Steve Blum
broadband subsidy, EDA, NTIA, public policy, usda

Click to read it for yourself.

A new booklet published by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration outlining ways to finance broadband projects contains no surprises. It’s a summary of federal programs that fund, or might fund, broadband infrastructure and it’s useful as a reference. But there’s no new money on the table, and many of the programs listed are either restricted in scope – Appalachia or tribal areas, for example – or are narrowly focused on specific users, such as libraries or public housing residents.… More

EDA opens new source for broadband funding with $2 million for San Leandro conduit

1 October 2012 by Steve Blum
commercial real estate, community networks, dark fiber, economic development administration, EDA, fiber market study, funding, lit san leandro, san leandro

The City of San Leandro will fill in key gaps in broadband availability in industrial and commercial areas, thanks to a $2.1 million grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration. The press release is here.

As far as we can tell, this award is the first ever given by EDA for a community broadband project, with credit largely due to the City’s economic and business development staff. They worked closely with the EDA to develop the innovative framework required and to meet the stringent requirements of the program.

… More