Will it be broadband or bust in Navajo and Gila Counties (AZ)?

A project that is supposed to bring high-speed broadband connections to schools and libraries in Navajo and Gila counties (AZ) and eventually to homeowners and businesses could lose state and federal funding. The Navajo-Gila County Information Technology Education Consortium (NGCITEC) that represents 51 schools and libraries within Navajo and Gila counties that have a tremendous amount at stake because this is likely a one-time shot at grant funding that would bring the $60 million dollar project to the counties for free. The Consortium submitted state and federal applications for grant funding back in March and then responded to Program Integrity Assurance (PIA) inquiries in April and June — questions regarding their bid evaluation process and their selection of a bid whose cost was double every other vendor. The funding was denied on July 10, by state and federal sources. The back-and-forth between the two counties and the state and federal agencies has slowed the project to a crawl. A state administrator says they must submit a new application to the state’s E-rate program to have any hope of receiving $5.1 million in state funding, plus the funding match for a $61 million dollar broadband project intended to bring high-speed internet to schools and libraries. “The timeframe to fix their submission for FY 2017-18 has passed,” according to Milan Eaton, state E-rate director with the Arizona Department of Education. “Their funding was denied on July 10, and I strongly recommend they throw out the bad laundry and move forward because the state funding will go away in 2020.”  “This funding and additional $8 million from Arizona may never again be available to Arizona schools and libraries in our lifetime, or even in our grandchildren’s lifetime,” warns Eaton. But representatives of Navajo County dispute this. They say the application is still moving through the process.