BTOP Status Update Goes to Congress

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration has sent an update on the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program to Congress. The report focuses on BTOP activities from April 1 to June 30, 2011. NTIA will provide its next quarterly report to Congress no later than mid-December 2011.

BTOP is on track to meet --and in most cases exceed -- its program goals, delivering significant progress this quarter in areas such as the infrastructure construction, computer center launches, and delivery of training to new broadband users. BTOP experienced considerable progress during this quarter in the form of a nearly 110 percent increase in the number of recipients delivering network miles from the previous quarter. Network miles deployed for BTOP include newly constructed miles, new leased miles, existing miles upgraded, and existing miles leased. Forty-four BTOP recipients deployed more than 10,000 network miles, bringing the total number of miles to date to more than 18,500. This represents a 200 percent increase in the number of network miles deployed over the last quarter. Over the first nine months of the fiscal year, BTOP has already surpassed its 2011 goal of 10,000 network miles.

As of June 30, 2011, 31 BTOP recipients reported that their training and adoption projects had encouraged more than 110,000 households and 500 businesses to subscribe to broadband services. This surpasses the goal of 100,000 new households or business subscribers for fiscal year 2011. New subscribers for this quarter totaled over 68,000, an increase of over 100 percent from the previous quarter.

BTOP recipients reported spending over $200 million of Federal grant funds this quarter, which was matched by recipient funds of almost $110 million. Cumulatively, total Federal expenditures were $480 million – approximately 12 percent of the total funds awarded – while total recipient matching contributions exceeded $240 million. The amount of Federal expenditures also increased by over 70 percent from the previous quarter’s totals, and the amount of matching funds contributed increased by over 80 percent.