Thematic Map of Median Household Income by Census Tract, Tulsa, Oklahoma
CommunityViewer, Courtesy of Proximity

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 presents some unique opportunities for all Educational Broadband Service (EBS) licensees. As we know, the EBS band is being used by wireless operators to deploy broadband wireless access networks using mobile WiMAX technology.

The Act encourages public-private partnerships and collaboration as a way to achieve progressive change in broadband availability and adoption. Partnerships create synergies that ensure project sustainability. Wireless operators may be interested in submitting a joint grant/loan application in partnership with local EBS Licensees to deploy mobile WiMAX network, and at the same time, develop programs that expand the adoption of broadband service, which is where the EBS licensee can participate.

Under the Act, $7.4 billion for competitive grants and loans is available from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (grants only) and the Department of Agriculture’s Rural Utility Service (grants and loans) to:

There will be three grant cycles, the first of which is expected in late July, 2009. All funds must be awarded by September 30, 2010 and projects funded by it must be substantially complete within two years of the award.

The passage of the Act conveniently coincides with the FCC’s May 1, 2011 deadline for EBS spectrum holders to provide “substantial service” on their licensed frequencies. EBS spectrum holders can apply for funding in the form of a grant or a loan to deploy or develop mobile WiMAX services in your community, and thereby comply with the Federal Communications Commission’s build out requirements needed to retain your license.

The grant or loan application, very simply put, will be comprised of the following parts:

The application is essentially a “business plan” where the applicant makes the case that the project is “sustainable” from a financial perspective, and that the project could not be completed without government funds within the grant period (2 years after award). The business plan should also discuss in detail the benefits to be derived from the project, particularly with respect to the goals of the Act.

The wireless operator will prepare the business plan for deploying the mobile WiMAX network. The EBS Licensee will develop a business plan for a project designed to expand broadband access and usage. The two plans will be submitted together as a joint project.

The content in the WiMAX section of this website highlights the benefits of a mobile broadband access network and can be used as part of a business plan for a community-specific application to be funded by grant or loan funds. The business plan is a framework of “the 3 A’s”:

What technology is being deployed to receive broadband Internet access?

What benefits will your community derive from the project?