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Bridging the Digital Divide |
Federal Grants for Broadband Improvement and Mapping The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) recently announced an expansion of its State Broadband Data and Development Grant Program, which will allow state governments and agencies to seek funding for up to three additional years of broadband mapping and data collection. The MBI is the only entity in Massachusetts eligible to apply for the grant, which will support the MBI's mission of expanding broadband connectivity across the state. The federal award will also provide funding to support statewide projects that focus on broadband availability and adoption, as well as improving the state's capacity to compete in the digital economy. The supplemental grant applications are due on Thursday, July 1, 2010, with awards being announced no later than September 30, 2010. The MBI is continuing to collect broadband availability data to include in the National Broadband Map and will submit data to the NTIA on a semi-annual basis. This effort will provide a more accurate picture of broadband coverage in the state and help the MBI target its infrastructure investments where they are needed most. In 2009, the MBI received $2 million in federal stimulus funding for broadband data development and mapping. The MBI will apply for additional funding under the NTIA's State Broadband Data and Development Grant Program to build upon current broadband improvement and mapping efforts. MBI Needs Your Help with Broadband Connectivity at Town Halls As part of the grant program, the MBI is required to collect a snapshot of the broadband services currently used at each municipality in the state. The MBI is seeking assistance to collect this data from all 351 town halls in the Commonwealth. We have provided an online survey tool that makes it easy for this information to be captured. As part of the survey response, the MBI has provided a tool to measure your actual Internet speeds. Please follow this link to the brief survey about your institution's broadband Internet connectivity: >> Town Hall Community Anchor Institution Survey Also, please let us know if you do not have connectivity at your town hall or have difficulty loading the survey. To contact the MBI call 508-870-0312 x1630 or email us at broadband@masstech.org. Getting Connected in e-Health The MBI and the Massachusetts e-Health Collaborative (MeHI) recently met with healthcare providers, CIOs and administrators at the Baystate Medical Center in Holyoke to discuss broadband expansion in western Massachusetts and its impact on healthcare. MeHI, a sister division of the MBI under the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, is the Regional Extension Center for the state, responsible for helping healthcare providers implement electronic health record systems and share medical information. The MBI's efforts to bring high-speed Internet access to western Massachusetts are critical in supporting the region's ability to participate in a statewide health information exchange. The MBI's federal stimulus application, MassBroadband 123, will create a robust fiber-optic network that connects 123 communities in the western part of the state.
Massachusetts Broadband Institute is a division of MTC |
