Made Possible by the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program

Funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009

Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP)

Laura Breeden, Program Director for PCC and SBA

March 8, 2012

Federal Communications Commission

Intergovernmental Advisory Committee

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Made Possible by the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program

Funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009

The Recovery Act highlighted broadband as a key factor for promoting economic growth

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Recovery Act – President Obama’s initiative to jumpstart the nation’s economy, create or save millions of jobs, and make a down payment on addressing long-neglected challenges so

that the country can thrive in the 21st century

BTOP – Provides grants that support the deployment of broadband infrastructure, enhance and expand public

computer centers, and encourage sustainable adoption of broadband service to promote economic growth

Website: www2.ntia.doc.gov

Made Possible by the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program

Funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009

In total, $4.2B in funding was distributed to 289 recipients across the five grant types

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Construct 10,000 new network miles

More than 2,800 applications were

received

Made Possible by the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program

Funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009

BTOP projects are impacting communities and populations across the nation

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– Minorities– Low income households– Persons with disabilities– Rural residents

– Senior citizens– People for whom English is a

second language

Unserved areas:– 90% of households lack access to facilities-

based, terrestrial broadband service at the minimum broadband transmission speed

Underserved areas:

Targeted populations include:

– 32% of households lack broadband access– Broadband transmission speeds are below the minimum of 768

Kbps downstream and 200 Kbps upstream

Vulnerable populations with low digital literacy or broadband access including:

Made Possible by the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program

Funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009

Program activity is improving education, health and workforce outcomes

Install and upgrade workstations with enhanced Internet connections and updated technology

Provide communities with physical space to access training opportunities, and develop valuable workforce skills

Break down common barriers to adoption through equipment and service subsidies, awareness campaigns, and training

Demonstrate to individuals the value of Internet in their lives as a means to communicate with others, learn new skills, and access social services

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Public Computer CentersProvide access to broadband, computer equipment, computer training, job training, and educational resources

Sustainable Broadband Adoption Promote broadband adoption, especially among vulnerable population groups

Made Possible by the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program

Funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009

BTOP projects continue to improve digital literacy skills across the country

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BTOP projects are developing and using a wide variety of educational tools to expand broadband access and adoption

BTOP recipients can share resources with other digital literacy practitioners and the general public through DigitalLiteracy.gov, building on the nation’s Recovery Act investments

DigitalLiteracy.gov includes more than 488 content resources and averages more than 1,000 visitors each week

Made Possible by the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program

Funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009

DigitalLiteracy.gov is a resource for those who teach or want to learn computer skills Created by the Department of Commerce’s

National Telecommunications and Information Administration in collaboration with 9 Federal agencies

Launched in May 2011, the site was developed to prepare more Americans for today’s jobs by capitalizing on BTOP investments

Connects educators, librarians, and other practitioners to free digital literacy training and career building applications that teach the online skills needed for today’s global workforce

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Made Possible by the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program

Funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009

NTIA promotes coordination among grantees through multiple recipient support activities

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Disseminate best practices and technical assistance through webinars, drop-in conference calls, BTOP in Action, and BTOP Update

Created affinity groups to facilitate knowledge sharing among recipients, subrecipients, and vendors

Sponsor/co-sponsor conferences and other events to build stakeholder relationships and disseminate ideas

Conducted an in-depth analysis of recipient measurement methodologies as part of a series of technical assistance activities to improve SBA outcomes