FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date: August 27, 2009
Contact: Moira Vahey, Free Press, (202) 265-1490 x31

WASHINGTON -- Today, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and the Department of Agriculture's Rural Utilities Service (RUS) announced that they received almost 2,200 applications requesting nearly $28 billion in funding for proposed broadband projects. This is the first of three bidding rounds for the $7.2 billion in funds the NTIA will distribute.

Ben Scott, policy director at Free Press, issued the following statement:

"We are excited to see such strong interest in the NTIA's broadband grant program. This response to just the first round of grants demonstrates the substantial interest in bringing broadband to all Americans and increasing broadband adoption.

"As expected, the large incumbent telephone and cable companies do not appear to have applied. But the volume of applicants has discredited complaints that interest in this grant program would be hurt by the nature of a public service /private enterprise partnership.

"The NTIA can now settle into the task of dispensing infrastructure grants to the best applicants with the goal of maximizing the utility of our public service broadband networks. We congratulate NTIA on this program and their efforts to improve broadband access."

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