New York Governor David A. Paterson today announced that the state government, in cooperation with non-government agencies, has applied for approximately $775 million in broadband stimulus funding. Most other states are in the $100+ million category for NTIA BTOP and RUS BIP funding. I thought it was Texas that was famous for doing everything bigger. “In these challenging fiscal times, we must take every opportunity to maximize federal stimulus funding opportunities to help make necessary investments to strengthen our communities and grow our economy, especially providing affordable access to high-speed Internet service throughout New York,” said Governor Patterson in a statement.
Some examples of the grant proposals submitted are:
- Public Safety: One proposal will use a wireless network to improve emergency communications and the ability of first responders to share information during emergencies. This ground-breaking proposal is the result of unprecedented cooperation between the State and 34 counties;
- Research: A high-speed network will create a link between the State University of New York Institute of Technology in Utica and the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering in Albany to provide connectivity that is crucial for the success of the Computer Chip Hybrid Integration Partnership;
- Health: One proposal will link State health agencies and create electronic health records to improve care;
- Social Services: A number of proposals will make it easier for New Yorkers to access social services, such as child care, food stamps, home energy assistance, domestic violence support, etc., expanding the use of online government services;
- Mapping: Proposals will continue broadband mapping efforts to map unserved and underserved areas of New York State and provide funding for statewide broadband planning.
New York’s broadband stimulus efforts are being led by New York State Chief Information Officer and Director of the Office for Technology Dr. Melodie Mayberry-Stewart. A complete list of the New York State broadband grant submissions is available at: http://www.nysbroadband.ny.gov/links/stimfundsubmitted.htm
State government broadband stimulus applicants intend to lean on the state Innovation Grants Program, which was launched by Governor Patterson to help facilitate matching grants for broadband stimulus dollars. The new $100 million program provides a 10 percent match for federal stimulus dollars awarded to federal broadband grant recipients approved by the state. The Innovation Grants Program is administered by the New York State Foundation for Science, Technology and Innovation (NYSTAR). More information about New York’s broadband stimulus activities can be found at the New York State Broadband Federal Stimulus website.
By my calculations, Alaska tops the list for grant and loan applications at over $1 billion.
There are 26 applications totalling $1,094,522,827 for grant requests and $222,814,942 for loan requests.
You're right – kind of. This post highlights state government coordinated bids, which do include private partnerships. At the time of this original post, New York had the highest among announced state government initiatives. If you look at individual states and total all bids (private AND government sponsored), New York is not tops. But again, at the time, among state government sponsored bids, New York led all other states.