In my younger years, I use to write grants for a non-profit. It is not difficult, you just need know the guidelines and have a good business plan, as well as some common sense.
As Scriv mentioned, it is important now that you work with your attorney and accountant and get things in order. It is also important to get your business certified for any type of extra help that you qualify for. For example, we are certified as a WOSB, Woman Owned Small Business, as well as Viet Nam Veteran. There are certifications also for minority owned, veteran owned and disable veteran owned. I think because of this "clause" in the stimulus bill that, hopefully, this will keep big business from grabbing up all the monies. Certifications are made when you apply to the Certified Contractors Registry. Another thing that I noted when reading the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Other than providing wireless service, one has to offer community projects, such as, community centers, public safety, jobs for local citizens, etc. In my opinion, if these monies are distributed in the spirit the act was written in, this could be the biggest boon, ever, to the WISP community. Victoria Proffer CEO St. Louis Broadband www.stlbroadband.com On Mon, Feb 16, 2009 at 3:02 PM, John Scrivner <j...@scrivner.com> wrote: > We were never told we had to use anything from any approved list of > vendors. > I do know that Waverider did become a "USDA Approved Vendor" after we had > our grant but we were not told we could not use them. We did help get > Waverider listed as an approved Vendor at that time after the fact. I think > it is simply having the vendor provide some general information about > making > sure they are an Equal Opportunity Employer, they don't cause environmental > destruction, they don't support terrorism, yadda yadda... We had to do the > same thing to become USDA approved to receive the funds. There are some > hurdles to being qualified for receiving federal funds but most of it was > stuff we needed to do anyway like making sure all of our accounting was in > proper order. What I foiund was that many of the things that make your > company qualified to receive federal funds can be easily accomplished with > some time with your attorney and accountant. It was well worth the effort > in > our case. > Scriv > > > On Mon, Feb 16, 2009 at 2:20 PM, Kurt Fankhauser <k...@wavelinc.com> > wrote: > > > In regards to the USDA grants, doesn't the choosen equipment have to be > > "certified" for use with USDA funds? So you could deploy > > Alvarion/Trango/Canopy but you can't use something like > > Staros/Mikrotik/Tranzeo??? > > > > Kurt Fankhauser > > WAVELINC > > P.O. Box 126 > > Bucyrus, OH 44820 > > 419-562-6405 > > www.wavelinc.com > > > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: wireless-boun...@wispa.org [mailto:wireless-boun...@wispa.org] On > > Behalf Of Tom DeReggi > > Sent: Monday, February 16, 2009 1:52 AM > > To: WISPA General List > > Subject: Re: [WISPA] It can mean everything > > > > well.... > > > > John's is a wonderful story. > > With $8billion, I see no reason why as an industry we can't replicate > > John's > > story 26,000 times. > > > > There are obstacles and risks in everything in life. But battles can be > > won. > > We already wons several battles on the terms of the new stimulus bill. > > I see no reason why we can't win more battles shaping the bill. > > > > The biggest advantage a WISP has is they have a pre-existing self > > sustaining > > business already, to build upon. > > That should increase the chances that an existing WISPs will win grants. > > > > It also means we have to ask for the money, because if we don't, someone > > else will. > > > > Tom DeReggi > > RapidDSL & Wireless, Inc > > IntAirNet- Fixed Wireless Broadband > > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: Travis Johnson > > To: WISPA General List > > Sent: Monday, February 16, 2009 1:47 AM > > Subject: Re: [WISPA] It can mean everything > > > > > > John, > > > > What you did for the community and the individuals in that area is very > > cool. Something you should be proud of for the rest of your life. > > > > However, let's play the other side of this Broadband Stimulus package. > > What if, because of all this "free" money, two new competitors come to > this > > area? And what if they all deploy 900mhz? They really have nothing to > lose > > because they don't have any customers right now anyway. And it's not > their > > money that is having to pay for all the equipment, etc. so even if it > > doesn't work, they don't care. > > > > So, what if this new money brings all these "government leaches" out, > > right into the wireless broadband market? What if you wake up tomorrow > and > > have 2 or 3 new competitors in your area? What about if they start using > > 3.65 along with all your deployments? Again, they have nothing to lose > > because it wasn't their money and they don't care if they cause problems > > for > > anyone else, because they are collecting $250k per year salaries and they > > will ride it until it dries up. > > > > This whole "package" could be a HUGE mess for our entire industry. :( > > > > Travis > > Microserv > > > > John Scrivner wrote: > > I used to say our government had no place in broadband. One thing > happened > > that changed my thinking to some degree. A small rural town called > Bluford, > > Illinois used to have no broadband until a few years ago. At that time I > > never used 900 MHz gear because it was out of my budget. Bluford was full > > of > > trees. It is a very poor community which led me to believe they could not > > afford the high price of 900 MHz CPEs. Basically Bluford defined the > > "Digital Divide". My attitude toward USDA grants was "They should stay > out > > of this but if someone will get the money it might as well be me". I shot > > for the moon. I budgeted for Waverider 900 MHz (The only 900 MHz gear > > available at that time) and a new tower. I asked for free installs for > all > > residents. I ran surveys of every person in town. In short I did > everything > > the USDA required of the grant and then some. I even went to broadband > > conventions and told others how to apply for grants. > > > > Then a miracle happened. > > > > My grant was funded. I received $310K to build service into Bluford. It > was > > the nicest setup I had ever done. The people of Bluford were ecstatic. > Over > > 60% of all residents bought service. We built a free community technology > > center at the local grade school. We gave free broadband to the schools, > > the > > village hall, the fire department, etc. as a condition of the grant. > > Bluford > > was doing great. Still, this had not really changed my thinking that > Uncle > > Sam should keep out of the broadband business. > > > > One child did change my mind. > > > > An 8 year old boy in Bluford got leukemia shortly after we setup the new > > broadband there. Dad and son, alone, faced the dark days ahead. These > > people > > were poor folks facing the horrors of cancer. Despite all this adversity > > and > > gloom the boy had only one major mental obstacle which really cut to the > > core for him. He could not face the prospects of having to be held back a > > year of school. You see, he was forced into isolation from killing off > his > > immune system as a consequence of the bone marrow being destroyed and > > replaced. He desparately wanted to finish school with his class. The > > schoool > > called me and asked if we could help with the broadband grant program we > > had > > won. We did. We bought a pan-tilt-zoom camera and set it up on a roll > > around > > cart along with a speakerphone in his classroom. We installed broadband > in > > his home for free using 900 MHz radios to bust through the trees. The boy > > attended classes virtually through this system. He beat his cancer. He > also > > finished his year with his fellow students. > > > > How much is this worth? > > > > It seems to me that this particular broadband application is much like > the > > "Priceless" description we see in those VISA commercials. But let's try > to > > put a dollar amount on it. Is it worth $310K to be able to do this? Is it > > possible that this one boy's hope alone is worth $310K and the fact that > > the > > whole town now has broadband is a bonus? > > > > Maybe it is ok to let our leaders lead for a change. > > > > I have seen many bad things come from bad government in my 43 years on > this > > earth. I have been fortunate enough to see some good things too. Until > > recently I thought cynicism was going to rule the day forever in regard > to > > government. I thought patrotism was dead. I thought the American Dream > had > > faded and spoiled into a nightmare. Sadly the government has done much to > > amplify those feelings. Regardless of your politics you have to be > worried. > > Maybe it is ok to have hope too. Maybe we should try for once to say that > > we > > will take our leader's lead and try to stimulate our economy through > > broadband deployment. I am willing to give it a shot. Maybe this will not > > work but maybe it will. What if success or failure of this program is > more > > dependent on how we make use of this program than whether or not the > > program > > is right or wrong? This is possibly the most unique opportunity of our > > lives. The government is basically telling us they want us to save the > > country. They are opening up the bank and saying to us, "What would you > do > > to make broadband a stimulating force to aid this country's economy if > > money > > was not a barrier to your success?" I am going to have to step up and be > > part of the solution. I hope all of you do the same. > > > > John Scrivner > > President - Mt. Vernon. Net, Inc. > > Trweasurer - WISPA > > > > > > > > > > On Sun, Feb 15, 2009 at 11:16 PM, <rea...@muddyfrogwater.us> wrote: > > > > Not me. If it's wrong, it's wrong. I'm not going to say "it should > not > > be > > done" and then go after the money for myself. I'd have to hide my face > > forever. Money comes and goes. Conscience is forever. > > > > > > ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ > > <insert witty tagline here> > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: "Marlon K. Schafer" <o...@odessaoffice.com> > > To: "WISPA General List" <wireless@wispa.org> > > Sent: Saturday, February 14, 2009 10:11 PM > > Subject: Re: [WISPA] What does this mean to wisps? > > > > > > Me? I'm gonna go for as much grant money as I can get. What else can > > we > > do? > > > > marlon > > > > Well, whatcha gonna do? > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > ---- > > WISPA Wants You! Join today! > > http://signup.wispa.org/ > > > > > > > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > ---- > > WISPA Wireless List: wireless@wispa.org > > > > Subscribe/Unsubscribe: > > http://lists.wispa.org/mailman/listinfo/wireless > > > > Archives: http://lists.wispa.org/pipermail/wireless/ > > > > > > > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > ---- > > WISPA Wants You! 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