COMMERCE DEPARTMENT'S NTIA AND USDA'S RUS ANNOUNCE ONLINE TOOL FOR PROSPECTIVE 
BROADBAND STIMULUS APPLICANTS

"BroadbandMatch" Intended to Help Prospective Applicants for Recovery Act 
Funding Find Broadband Project Partners

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 7, 2010

NTIA Media Contact:                                              USDA Media 
Contact:
Jessica Schafer                                                         Bartel 
Kendrick
202-482-5670                                                          
202-379-8400

WASHINGTON - The Commerce Department's National Telecommunications and 
Information Administration (NTIA) and the USDA's Rural Utilities Service (RUS) 
today announced the launch of BroadbandMatch, a new online tool to facilitate 
partnerships among prospective applicants to the agencies' broadband grant and 
loan programs. The programs, funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment 
Act, are intended to expand broadband access and adoption in America, helping 
to bridge the digital divide, create jobs, and stimulate long-term economic 
growth.

BroadbandMatch - at 
http://match.broadbandusa.gov<http://match.broadbandusa.gov/> - allows 
potential applicants to find partners for broadband projects, helping them to 
combine expertise and create stronger proposals. For example, a broadband 
infrastructure provider might partner with community institutions, like 
universities, hospitals, or libraries, on a proposal to bring high-speed 
Internet service to their facilities. Any company, nonprofit, state or local 
government or expert individual interested in applying for funding under NTIA's 
Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) or RUS's Broadband 
Initiatives Program (BIP) can post a profile, including key information about 
the contribution they can make to a broadband project, as well as search for 
other stakeholders whose skills and resources match their needs.

"In the first funding round, many applicants wanted to form partnerships but 
didn't know how best to locate other organizations with similar aims and 
complementary resources," said NTIA Administrator Lawrence E. Strickling. 
"BroadbandMatch is a tool to help stakeholders collaborate, which can spur the 
highest caliber, most effective proposals for this crucial Recovery Act 
funding."

"It's like a matchmaking service where interested parties can discover each 
other to pursue their mutual interests," said RUS Administrator Jonathan S. 
Adelstein.  "It will help in locating community partners and establishing new 
relationships that will foster better broadband service in areas of the country 
that really need it."

RUS and NTIA plan to announce the rules for the final funding round of the BTOP 
and BIP programs in the coming weeks.

BroadbandMatch is a component project in support of the Obama Administration's 
Open Government Initiative, undertaking to bring an innovative, open approach 
to the way the government operates. In launching BroadbandMatch, NTIA and RUS 
are joining agencies across the government in retooling their approach to 
conducting business, to increase transparency, public participation, and 
collaboration.



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