Click here to view a copy of our June 11 webinar, "What You Must Know Now to Apply for Federal Grants" (1:04:37), or download a PDF of the slides.
Click here to view a copy of our July 7 mini-webinar, "What You Must Know Now to Apply for Federal Broadband Grants, Now That the NOFA is Out" (48:45), or download a PDF of the slides.
Background info
In February 2009, Congress passed and President Obama signed into law the $787 billion economic stimulus package, the "American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA)."
Among myriad other provisions, the new Act provides $7.2 billion for the expansion of broadband facilities and services. The package includes $4.7 billion to be dispensed by the Commerce Department's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) under the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP), and $2.5 billion to be dispensed by the Department of Agriculture's Rural Utilities Service (RUS) in grants, loans and loan guarantees.
Davis Wright Tremaine communications attorneys, who are currently advising clients on potential BTOP and RUS project proposals, offered its clients and friends two free webinars on the topic.
In the first, "What You Must Know Now to Apply for Federal Grants," the Davis Wright Tremaine team discusses and analyzes the opportunities and implications for all potential applicants—including the newest developments and several often-overlooked aspects of these funding programs.
This program focuses on:
- The key provisions in the economic stimulus statute, including a discussion of differences between the RUS and NTIA programs
- How to identify and develop projects that have the best chance of being granted, including essential "plus factors" to include in your application
- Specialized projects and ways to make your project stand apart from others
- Potential issues, obstacles and government restrictions to consider when deciding whether to apply
- Potential legal and policy issues affecting operations and sustainability of broadband facilities built under these programs
The second webinar, "What You Must Know Now to Apply for Federal Broadband Grants, Now That the NOFA is Out," is a fact-intensive follow-up mini-webinar to fill you in on the key details and inform you on what to do next. Find out:
- Grant application deadlines
- How grant applications will be scored
- Definitions for "broadband," "unserved" and "underserved"
- Much more