Sept. 27, 2010

GOV. BARBOUR ANNOUNCES AWARDING OF FEDERAL BROADBAND
GRANT TO MISSISSIPPI

Gov. Haley Barbour announced today the federal government has awarded Mississippi a grant of nearly $5 million for broadband mapping and planning activities.

Channeled through the Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), the funding will be used to collect and verify the availability, speed, and location of broadband – essentially high-speed Internet access – across the state.

Mississippi will utilize part of the $4,997,013 in funding to create the Mississippi Broadband Connect Coalition, a non-profit public-private partnership focused on producing a comprehensive statewide plan for improving digital literacy, increasing access to broadband and enabling greater adoption of broadband in the state.

“As we continue to emphasize attracting high-technology jobs to Mississippi, it’s important that we’re able to provide industrial and business prospects with this kind of critical information” Gov. Barbour said. “The data gathered under this grant will help determine a location that best suits their broadband needs.”

Mississippi received a grant of nearly $2 million for broadband mapping and planning in January.

The State Broadband Data and Development Grant Program is a matching grant program that implements the joint purposes of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and the Broadband Data Improvement Act (BDIA). States are required to contribute at least 20 percent non-federal matching funds toward project costs.

The NTIA is required to produce a comprehensive, interactive, and searchable national broadband map available to the public by Feb. 17, 2011.