Arkansas Delegation Announces $2 Million To Boost Broadband in State

October 26, 2009 -- Washington – U.S. Senators Blanche Lincoln and Mark Pryor and U.S. Representatives Marion Berry (AR-01), Vic Snyder (AR-02), and Mike Ross (AR-04) today announced that Arkansas will receive $2,081,238 from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications & Information Administration to increase broadband access and adoption through better data collection and broadband planning. The funds are allocated through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 and the Broadband Data Improvement Act.

“Broadband access is critically important to Arkansas, providing opportunities to dramatically improve the quality of life for our citizens. Greater broadband access can offer better medical advice, expand educational opportunities, and help rural businesses grow. I’m pleased to see our state receive these funds, and I remain committed to fighting for economic growth and job creation in our rural communities,” said Lincoln.

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“Access to high-speed broadband it not a luxury; it is a necessity. Investing in broadband access for all Arkansans is crucial to growing our economy, improving our health care system, and providing the best possible education for our children,” Pryor said. “These funds will help us conduct a thorough assessment of where we are in broadband access and how to get to where we need to be, so we can expand our broadband services in the most efficient and effective way possible. This is an important step on the path towards universal broadband access in Arkansas.”

“For our country to stay competitive globally, broadband access will be essential to long-term economic prosperity in rural areas such as Arkansas,” said Berry. “This funding will help our state attract new businesses, support their growth and encourage job creation.”

“I applaud the work of Arkansas Capitol Corporation and its plan to extend broadband throughout the state,” said Snyder.

“For every dollar we invest in broadband, the economy sees a ten-fold return on that investment,” said Ross. “Making available broadband and wireless services to all Arkansans, especially in rural areas, will help our small businesses and farmers remain profitable and competitive in this 21st century, global economy.”

Arkansas’s funds will support Connect Arkansas, the state’s leading agency eligible to receive federal broadband mapping grants under the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s State Broadband Data and Development Program.

Connect Arkansas will work with its partners to develop mathematically-based predictive models of why people are, or are not, online. Using the data gathered though service providers and their work with the general public, Connect Arkansas will develop models of how much broadband adoption there “should” be in a particular area based on predictive math models accounting for factors such as income level, age, education, family make-up, computer ownership, etc.

Connect Arkansas is also involved in strategic planning processes that will allow unserved and underserved counties to address broadband access issues. These efforts will allow each county an opportunity to identify the resources they have, identify the resources they need, and create a plan about how to build the demand for and access to broadband Internet opportunities.

In 2007, Arkansas Governor Beebe signed the Connect Arkansas Act into law, creating the state’s broadband initiative focused on increasing the use and availability of broadband Internet within the state.

Source: Senator Blanche Lincoln