NYS Council Discusses Closing State’s ‘Digital Divide’

The NY State Broadband Development and Deployment Council's recent quarterly meeting included:

• A discussion of the efforts by NY State, in partnership with the Governor's Recovery Cabinet and NYSTAR, to encourage organizations via regional meetings to apply for Round 2 broadband stimulus funds.  Applications for the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program's (BTOP's) Comprehensive Community Infrastructure projects have until 5 PM,
  March 26, 2010 to submit applications to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA).  Applicants for
  Broadband Initiative Program (BIP) Infrastructure projects will have
  until 5 PM, March 29, 2010, to submit applications to the Rural
  Utilities Service (RUS).  More information on the federal grants can be
  found at http://www.BroadbandUSA.gov;
• An update on NY State's broadband mapping program and the $2.5 million
  broadband mapping grant awarded to the state by the NTIA; and,
• A presentation by Tech Valley Communications which, in partnership with Mayor Gerald Jennings
  and the City of Albany, is using $625,000 grant from NYS
  to expand Albany FreeNet into several new areas throughout Albany,
  provide free digital literacy training and virtual workforce
  development programming, and offer highly subsidized desktop
  computers for those who cannot afford them.

More information, as well as the Council's plans to implement broadband initiatives as described in the New York State Universal Broadband Plan, can be found here or here.

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