Amen Rick!!!! I've always maintained the thought that the 350 Million was another back door political payback to the Telco and cable companies via Connected Nation. With the fact that this funding gets put out there and then the data never really becomes available because of the NDA's signed, it just smells like a pork barrel project to me. Your explanation just backs up that idea.
If you want to map broadband, go to a small organization like myself. We can do the work for tenths of a penny on the dollar these guys are quoting. You just build that cost in to the rest of your stimulus project and move on. Trying to take on Connected Nation is a losing battle. Just step around them and move forward......there are plenty of ways to map the competitive broadband in a market without proprietary data and you can successfully do it to convince the organizations that are handing out money. Thank You, Brian Webster -----Original Message----- From: wireless-boun...@wispa.org [mailto:wireless-boun...@wispa.org]on Behalf Of Rick Harnish Sent: Tuesday, April 28, 2009 7:23 PM To: ccoo...@intelliwave.com; 'WISPA General List' Subject: Re: [WISPA] NTIA mapping Chris, It is my understanding that this bill was specifically written for Connected Nation. In a conversation today in Indianapolis I was told that if you divide $350 million by 50 states you get $7,000,000 per state. This is approximately 80% of the $9,000,000 contract they recently signed with Ohio or Tennessee. The 80% number coincidentally matches up with the current thinking on the Broadband Stimulus Grants with 20% coming from the awardees and 80% coming from the Federal Government. If this assumption is correct, it didn't take Connected Nation long to come up with a number to present to the legislators that sponsored the bill. I'm not saying that this funding won't be allocated to other grantees but I have been told that it will be extremely difficult to buck this legislation given the current political clout that Connected Nation seems to have. That is not to say that the states themselves will get control of the funding and will make those decisions separately. Respectfully, Rick Harnish -----Original Message----- From: wireless-boun...@wispa.org [mailto:wireless-boun...@wispa.org] On Behalf Of chris cooper Sent: Tuesday, April 28, 2009 11:01 AM To: 'WISPA General List' Subject: [WISPA] NTIA mapping There is a $350 million mapping component set aside under BTOP. Will this funding be available in smaller chunks to successful grantees to map their expanded networks? Will it be available to all wisps to map their existing networks in an effort to add to the overall national BB map? Chris Cooper Intelliwave ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- 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/ No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 8.5.287 / Virus Database: 270.12.4/2082 - Release Date: 04/27/09 06:19:00 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- 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! 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/
