There's Gold in Dem There Hills!

Man, oh man! I do hope you guys have been paying attention to all the wealth of information being shared on the blogs, twitter and the websphere, in general. If not, here is a round up and I dare say a Follow Friday of epic proportions! ha! :

By now, you've probably seen NTIA's posting of all funded projects, I am sure.


Susan Estrada shared a couple of successful BTOP applications:

http://www.merit.edu/stimulus/
https://www.mcnc.org/btop

And folks have been summarizing their frustrations (I deleted an earlier permeation of mine on account of me reading it after it posting and realizing it was quite harsh - in a blame the victim - sort of way. Anyhoo, I like that folks are coming up with critical solutions and suggestions and not just blowing off steam.)

So, even though I cooled down, you can still catch ColoComLwyer rant as he gave the government quite the earful in his piece on his blog yesterday.

PJ from StimulatingBroadband.com stepped out of his traditional neutral journalism role to dole out some advice for tackling the government's mishandling of the Broadband Stimulus roll out.

It was so moving that it stimulated (get it Stimulating broadband?) Susan Estrada to urge her readers on her blog to join the effort and write your Congressmen/women to help change the broken system.

And I am heartened to see folks cluing us all in and sharing their inside knowledge.


While you're scrambling to refile, some of the folks who've been around us guiding us all through the anxious "waiting game" these past months are trying to help out in the next round, alas Broadband Stimulus Craig Settles Successful.com is offering assistance. As is WirelessScott whose company AspenWireless helped some of his clients get funded. Recall, he was one of the first persons boasting keeping us abreast as to what his winning client was going through as it was going through the award grant process. Not sure who's behind this company, but Keenwire too is offering to review applications for a flat rate. whew! I wonder how "flat" is flat?

JamesMardis shared his tweets from watching the latest oversight hearing for those of us too busy to tune in at that moment, but could easily monitor tweets from the middle of a meeting. Thanks James.

RahulG a reporter for BroadbandCensus.com is gathering questions to take to the FCC for the next BroadbandCensus.com breakfast and I assume to actually take to the FCC for an answer. I left mine. You should too.

WilkinsonBarkerKnauer tweeted the pdf to the Federal Register notice publication of the NOFA II and has been keeping us up to date on all the scheduled hearings and workshops.

Apart from moderating a very useful Broadband Stimulus LinkedIn group, JenniferHoltz has been sharing lots of good info via her Twitter page.

As has been the always on top of things BroadbandAccess guy, Michael Smith who has an eerie knack of knowing information from NTIA and RUS and giving us the heads up as the info is released.

Occamnetworks has been providing its insight along the way as well on its BBStim blog and recently tweeted live and direct from its BBSTim webinar.

The Benton Foundation has been an excellent source of Communications news from around the nation.

As usual, Geoff Daily is never shy about sharing his predictions and suggestions on the BBStim issue and other network policy issues on his very poignant App-Rising blog

OneCommunity chronicles and reports the Broadband Headlines of the day.

and by All means follow GrantGros, the reporter who I had my first Internet "beef" would. I feel like I have some street "cred" now. He tweets links to stories on communications and broadband each week that he writes for ComputerWorld, IDG News Service and PC World.

And while you're at it, you might as well check out the adoption efforts of the BroadbandForAmerica coalition of industry companies and groups. The Broadband4Us twitter stream usually has good nuggets of info as well.

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edited to add:

Check out the Wireless Cowboys blog at http://www.wirelesscowboys.com/ which is full of good wireless ISP stories about delivering broadband in rural areas. The series on Medicine Bow, Wyoming is an appropriate one for anyone wanting to find out about delivering broadband to really rural areas.

Thanks matt!

Who did I miss?

leveraging Round 2 Funding

I got this question in my inbox and I have the cohones to admit I do not have any clue. I looked at the NOFA and was left scratching my head because it wasn't clear nor really spoke to the issue. I haveasked around, but the answer seems to be something I will have to call up my good friend Jessica Zufolo from RUS on...in the meantime, I will leave it here in case anyone comes up with the answer before she calls me back

The RUS has consistently talked about leveraging the money 7:1 for loans, but they have never really explicitly reconciled this with their funding pronouncements. Any ideas?

I think the answer may lie with those who have gotten funding via the other RUS programs like those created via the Farm Bill. However, it is done with those programs, I assume is the way it will be done under RUS. Will get back atchya feller. Hold tight!

out, but not down...

...someone emailed me asking if this blog was shut down. (i'm certain he was joking).

not down, just overwhelemed at the moment with various client projects, that is all.

unfortunately, none of my clients passed to due diligence so needless to say I have been recruited to ascertain whether they should file a second time.

this is eating up much of my time, thus it means little time to update this blog.

i am keeping up to date with the Twitter buzz and am actively participating over there.

...just not here.

soon. hopefully. soon. like the Kung Fu masters says, "Patience Grasshopper"

so i lied...

...i am too deep in a current client project to tend to my loyal followers...all 6 of yous! ha!

I am hopeful after a couple of high pressure deadlines get met this week that I will be able to come up for air and reconnect, but in the meantime, I am liking what Craig Settles has to say in his analysis of the NoFAs which I am linking here! His detailed plan of action tackling your Round 2 application is EXCELLENT! CHECK It out here!

In response to his question on whether satellites should get remaining stimulus money in the end if communities are still unserved after all the awards are given out, I remind him and everyone out there that some terrain just cannot be penetrated. I mean if Osama Bin Laden can send a message in the mountains of Afghanistan and Pakistan using satellite why can't Molly Pocket in boondocks West Virginia. If satellite is the only means of getting broadband access (even if it isn't the best way), so be it and I say better some access than no access.

I also agree with Settles' last assessment in one of his posts:

Those of you in the middle of Round 1 who haven’t been called in for due diligence? You may want to consider packing it in and looking at NOFA 2. Since the rules and requirements have been streamlined in some important areas, you may not be looking at that much work to prepare a new application. Besides, your original proposal’s still on the table and you could get that last-minute call.

I say the new NoFAs appear less convoluted than the first one and time should be spent re-crafting the old Round 1 apps into a cleaner, crisper and more responsive application. I agree it couldn't hurt. You've already have your knees, feet and hands deep in all this stuff, might as well stay the course. Good luck!

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also...

By now, you know that I was quick on the draw again with another prediction, this time alerting the Tweeps of today's announcement of new grants awards.

Also, the way the grants were announced also confirms another past prediction -- that most future announcements will not be done with the same fanfare as the initial awards. Also, as I also predicted (based on the buzz in my ear), the NTIA & RUS's with their separate NoFAs and announcements, have indeed divorced. I guess counseling didn't work.

I foresee a new career as a Broadband Soothsayer in my future. Hahahaha! I crack myself up!

rage against the machine

shhhh....you hear that?

the crescendo that is building?

it's the collective roar of frustration that is about to erupt...

it's coming from thousands of applicants who have put aside business plans, and other priorities chasing a piece of the broadband pie...

...and just as they think they've got it all figured out, they're told to maybe hedge bets that they WON'T be funded and to go back to the drawing board, reconfigure, reorganize, re-prioritize, fix what may or may not be broken and come again.

I am knee deep in NoFAs and answering many queries and concerns from clients and Broadbandlawyer followers.

I'm going to regroup and get back to you good people in a few short hours.

like my good pretend friend, Bill Clinton, once said, "I feel your pain."

from the Horse's mouth

Good news!!


Update folks:

This is what the RUS contact informed me and I quote:

BIP is in the process of finishing up with Round 2. ( I think she means Step 2. Due Diligence)

There may be a few more invites sent out.

I have a full plate today and cannot comment much, but wanted to at least share that tidbit of news as promised. Cheers!

...end of the Road.

...I'm sad to have to pull out my old vinyl of that Boyz II Men remake of "End of the Road" but a very reliable source just informed me that the gig is up.

I was told that all those who are to be invited to the due diligence round should have already received notification.

I do hope/wish that isn't the case for so many of the great applications out there, but if it is, there will be many people upset in a week or so when they get their rejection letters.

Tough going. This is one time I am hoping my source is not right.

Edited to add: the source of the information was referencing NTIA so all may not be for naught at RUS.

The Money Grab

It looks like some people are trying to capitalize on the frustration some are feeling over not getting word yet that their projects will get funded and are going after desperate folks with Broadband Stimulus Grant in a Box kits. Check this out:

BTOP Grant Application Support Package

I'm all for capitalism (even though this looks like a Chinese company) and I wouldn't knock another man's hustle, BUT and that's a Big BUT, at what point does this smack in the face of the purpose of the grants and turns to an unadulterated money grab?

Are all the consultants, equity seekers, attorneys and analysts who are advising applicants going after their cut in the money grab and looking for their big pay day as well? After all, the government permits a good percentage (EDITED to add the words "up to" 5%) of the funds to go towards professional consultancy fees which include grant writers.

[EDITED TO ADD based on an email I received, you are not at all obligated to surrender 5% of your grant money. The government simply permits you to use up to 5% of the grant funding to pay for invoices for services that accrued from the day the application was released until your application is completed. By all means, it is NOT A CONTINGENCY. There is a presumption that you should have paid bill in advance, but to the extent you have an outstanding balance, you are permitted to use award funds to pay towards that balance that consultants, attorneys and engineers charged for their services. Sorry to confuse. See Below*]

What percentage of those waiting for funding are truly eager to getting word that their work will start to get America back on track to being a competitive force in the broadband world and connecting unserved and underserved populations of this great nation and what percentage is just waiting for their cut in the stimulus funding?

It boggles the mind. I suppose it doesn't help that I've had to listen to independent radio for a client project I am currently working on... Much of the rhetoric being espoused is couched in between segments of people cursing the government for taking tax payer dollars and distributing them among various projects they don't approve of and for making private industry and their lawyers and consultants rich.

Are the consultants guiding applicants just as guilty as the Grant-in-a-box guys?

I'm thinking............................. HELL NO! It takes a lot of energy and work to pull this stuff together. I, for one, know what my team went through on behalf of my clients. That is certain.

As all of us watching the stimulus funding know, the ideal project is still an enigma to the administrators themselves. All this has been a trial and error process for them too - these uncharted waters they find themselves in. How the heck are these bozos pushing a one size fit all package thinking this is the solution? (though I would give them that it is a crisp organized tool for presentation purposes)

However, at this point, I think you'd need three college degrees including a doctorate in economics, an engineer Master's degree, a JD and not to mention a little bit of clairvoyance and mind reading capabilities to know what it takes to put together THE perfect grant application.

And even then, you'd offshoot by a mile if your application did not include top experienced management team with an impressive background and track history for success.

Again, there is a big BIG BIG fear from the grant administrators of funding projects with so-called new companies with no experience in managing big projects. The administration does NOT want any failures to come back and bite them in the ass.

I think that is also the reason behind the hesitancy to fund private companies with no public government party partners. After all, the government is supposed to be looking after its constituents and is presumed to not sell out its citizens in favor of large executive bonuses. The idea of being seen as doling out tax dollars to support a private company's bottom line scares the begeezus out of some of these administrators. To be honest, I do think some private companies were arrogant in thinking local and state governments had/have no clue how to run broadband and weren't worthy of soliciting for partnership. Maybe, they will have the last laugh in the end. Who knows. I digress...

Again, soooo unless this package was formulated via a carbon copy of a winning grant, I'm thinking a plug-in approach won't cut it! Nice try. Come again. I do hope no one is so desperate enough to try and get around hiring a top notched experience consultancy team to resort to something like this...

You know what they say, "desperate times call for desperate measures"

The answer is to be patient and not wave the white flag until...oh...two -three more weeks when you will know for sure if your project will get funded or not. Then PANIC!

(just kidding...if not funded, the answer, if you can bear it will be to learn lessons from those that did get funded, start over and hire one of the great experienced people who will be able to read the tea leaves and get you there.)


* Section D.2.(a)(iii) of the NOFA permit fund dollars to be used

"To fund reasonable pre-application expenses in an amount not
to exceed five percent of the award. Pre-application expenses may be
reimbursed if they are incurred after the publication date of this NOFA
and prior to the date on which the application is submitted to RUS or
NTIA;"

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Sources say....

Boy, did we take off running since we came off the holidays. I am truly pleasantly amazed at the recent discourse that has been going on in the Blogsphere and Twitterverse lately. Everyone's abuzz with suggestions, predictions, prescriptions, and speculation.

All's back in play too over in Broadbandlawyer world. My NTIA and RUS sources are also back on the grind and feeding me some info that inquiring minds want to know.

First up, the NTIA:

Earlier this week, I tweeted that announcements were imminent within days. It turns out the source was privy to preparations being made to hand out new awards. Alas, there indeed HAVE BEEN DECISIONS made to fund additional projects that have gone through the due diligence stage. However, my source is not certain whether the individual applicants are being notified privately or if there is an effort within NTIA to gather and amass as many approvals as possible before making the next big announcement.

[Time out for commentary: I think perhaps the NTIA is feeling the pressure to fund larger projects and many more of them that will create more jobs than these smaller grantees from the original 18 will be able to generate. Also, with over 2,000 applicants, it will be really looked down upon if they crank out a small number AGAIN. These agencies have a tough task, but they have to step up their game.]

The source said the due diligence process is thorough and detailed and s/he thought maybe a little too much as the extra time is causing the delay. I do recall reading a tweet from that guru consultant Craig Settles mentioning that one of his clients had gone through three rounds of due diligence.

[Time out for commentary: Again, I think since Mr. Strickling announced that the NTIA will NOT fund a BAD project, the pressure is on to make sure that everything is verified. As we have seen in the trade press, there is already criticism that the initial grantees may be too small and inexperienced to pull off what they say they will in their applications. There is a big the fear of funding a project that doesn't create sufficient jobs, is managed poorly or squanders all the funds. Hence, the extra scrutiny. Also, incumbent challengers seemed to have succeeded in slowing down the process, at least, because there is more work for field workers out there verifying broadband coverage. I am still not certain that awardees that were challenged aren't going to be the subject of lawsuits and other complaints as we've seen happen in Maine where legislation was initiated to "defund" a project awarded a grant with the University of Maine. ]

Finally, the source said s/he was unsure if there will be a major announcement of the awardees later, even if some or all are contacted and notified they will be funded.

[Time out for commentary: I think if the NTIA elects to do a major announcement, it will come within the next two weeks. By then, I think the final due diligence invitations will be sent as well. With the current trend and NOFA as a guidance, the due diligence process will take a minimum of 30 days to complete and if both agencies are thinking of finishing up the Round 1 awards by the end of February, any grant seeker hoping to be funded should have been invited to the due diligence round within the next two weeks.]


Now for RUS:

I got a response from my contact with RUS asking specifically on behalf of my clients who are yet to get due diligence letters for access to whoever it is working specifically on their application.

Negative! Nope. Too many applicants to share that. There are no "field" officer assigned to the projects she said.

Hmmm. Okay. Then I asked about the timing. Should these guys start throwing in the towel, shifting their priorities or prepare for round two. Certainly, they'd need to know if they will pass due diligence before making these decisions and it is not fair to them that the agency's delay is costing all these companies valuable resources that could be going to other efforts.

To that question, I got this answer:




*crickets*



No worries. I sent a follow up and will call this afternoon to press further. Hopefully, she is out fetching a response and I will hear back soon.

Nonetheless, I think Administrator Anna Gomez reply during the CES as reported by Steve Blum indicated that NTIA, and by default RUS also, are aiming to get the final awards announced by the time the next round applications are due.

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My assessment:

For all of this news, I think the writing is on the wall if you are a Round 1 applicant who has NOT yet been invited to the due diligence. The project may or may not be in the last rounds of announcements. (I predict two more major announcements) However, I also agree with others' assessments that it is best to prepare for the next round, just in case. Well, that is if you have the stomach to be jerked around longer.

It's good to be cautiously optimistic, but at least as a precautionary measure, it may be a good idea to take a second and CRITICAL look at your application and examine what it lacks and compare it to the projects funded and to the ones to be announced soon. With just 18 projects funded, it may have been difficult to spot any trends, per se, as 18 is such a small sample.

However, I do believe there are clues and several of the analysts and BBSTIM watchers have done excellent jobs with these trend predictions. NTIA Administrator Ana Gomez praised the NGN project as a pretty good standard for middle mile project, falling short of saying go forth and copy that model.

Maybe there are some minor items that need tweaking. If you did a multi-jurisdictional application, maybe you want to scale back and focus on one region to make sure your data is accurate. (Recall, there were some states that outright threw out applications for consideration to be prioritized if the applicant proposed to serve other states than their own. ) If you lacked sufficient public and anchor institution endorsement or partners, maybe start seeking out some more to sign up and start with that new tool just announced this week. Maybe you didn't get prioritized by your state, perhaps a call or meeting with state and local decision makers is warranted. Maybe you relied on maps or analytical data that was flawed and you know the flaws and what to do to tweak it. Here's the time to tweak. Perhaps, you proposed to serve an unserved area without thoroughly verifying that the area is indeed unserved, it may be a good time to do a double check. In short, there's no reason to just rest and wait for the news, be it good or bad.

That's it for me. I only have a few more hours in the work day to be productive and stop all this gossiping. There. I admit it. This may be just a gossip blog after all.

yup! This sums it up

This guy says it all!

Commentary from Forbes.com
Broadband Stimulus Lacks Bandwidth
Daniel Hays 01.06.10, 9:00 AM ET

The federal government's announcement of the first broadband stimulus awards is a terrific first step in extending the reach of broadband communications across the United States. However, the Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications Information Administration (NTIA) and the Department of Agriculture's Rural Utilities Service (RUS) need to pick up the pace in awarding broadband stimulus funds, and take additional steps to ensure program dollars are deployed with maximum efficiency and impact.

Despite significant interest from public and private entities in all 50 states, so far only 18 of 2,200 first-round applicants have received awards. That's a total of only $183 million, barely 2.5% of the $7.2 billion in funds allocated for broadband in the February 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. This is particularly surprising, as first-round applicants prepared requests for more than $28 billion in grants, loans and matching funds--more than 10 times the amount available. Moreover, the recipients did not include some of the largest, most impactful and most sustainable proposals.

At this pace, the awards will not only fail to achieve their stated purpose to expand broadband access to unserved and underserved communities across the U.S., they will also lag significantly in their related goals to create new jobs, generate investments in technology and infrastructure and provide long-term economic benefits. Even if the government achieves its revised milestone of distributing all additional first round awards by the end of February, it may well be too late to have a significant impact.

My firm, PRTM, has worked with public and private organizations to plan for and implement successful broadband networks since the early days of broadband technologies and businesses. Based on hundreds of such projects worldwide, we see three critical gaps in the government's current approach.

Lack of a Clear and Cohesive Broadband Strategy. While the Recovery Act's funding of broadband stimulus projects is admirable, the overall broadband program lacks direction and strategy. The U.S. needs a broadband strategy that addresses public need and key market opportunities, aligns economic benefits and costs and provides a road map for developing the necessary technology solutions. Although the Federal Communications Commission recently started work on a National Broadband Plan, the basic strategic framework is not yet in place. This is critical for guiding subsequent rounds of broadband stimulus awards, and for avoiding significant misalignment and waste.

No Clear Criteria for Prioritizing and Funding Projects. Broadband stimulus applicants face a dizzying array of questions during the applications process but have precious little insight into how their applications will actually be evaluated. In commercial environments, such projects are routinely evaluated on clear criteria such as return on the proposed investment, size of the potential market and alignment with the business strategy. No such measures exist for the broadband stimulus program, however, causing applicants to aim blindly while they assemble up to 500 pages of supporting information per application. The evaluation process needs much greater transparency, as well as a simpler approach that will speed up the distribution of awards to recipients.

High-Risk Approach to Ensuring Efficient and Effective Deployment. Perhaps the greatest risk to the success of the broadband stimulus is posed by the challenge of ensuring the awarded funds lead to new jobs, enhanced broadband access and sustained economic impact. To date, the majority of awards have been small, averaging just over $10 million apiece. These are unlikely to create the types of economies of scale that would normally be desired in broadband programs. Furthermore, the awards are often going to organizations with minimal track records of successful deployment and operational performance. Applicants will need to access significant capabilities in network deployment management, operational scale-up and market launches. For the broadband stimulus program to succeed, these organizations will need substantial help, or risk failing in large numbers like past program participants.

The RUS and NTIA face great challenges in administering and ensuring the successful completion of the broadband stimulus program. Likewise, the recipients of the broadband stimulus awards face similar or perhaps even greater,obstacles in building successful and sustainable broadband businesses. As we approach the next round of awards, more than $7.2 billion is at stake. With new jobs, wider broadband access and continued economic competitiveness hanging in the balance, this is an opportunity we cannot afford to lose.

Daniel Hays is a director of PRTM, a global management consulting firm. He is based in its Washington, D.C., office and can be reached at dhays@prtm.com.

of POTS and Pans

"i am not my mother's keeper" (mother=Ma bell)

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AT&T is saying, in its comments on the FCC National Broadband docket, that it needs to shut down the PSTN (public switched telephone network) in order to divert resources used to maintain POTS (plain old telephone service) onto efforts to expand its national broadband network. I believe in the free market economy.

Instead of shutting it down and disconnecting millions from communications with others, why doesn't AT&T just sell off that part of its business to someone who will happily take it off its hands?

Someone pointed out that it is all a smokescreen, e.g. a convenient excuse for not wiring rural areas with broadband. Perhaps. Others have pointed out that it may be a strategy for manipulating the intercarrier compensation rules or easing out of some of the Universal Service Fund obligations.

Madness!

PSTN and POTs aren't going anywhere soon as this US of A is NO where close to being ready to transition away from the stable, secure, infrastructure and institution that is landline telephone service which took blood sweat and tears to install, underground, where the wind can't blow it away!

I, for one, am not looking forward to having to resort to blowing smoke signals to communicate with the outside world in the event of a national disaster and I'm stuck, like after the wireless towers and transmitters have fallen to the ground and the battery in my VoIP phone finally dies the 7th day without electricity. No sir. The last man standing will be the one with a terrestrial traditional Ma Bell telephone service or the dude with the satellite phone and who other than Bin Laden operatives in the mountains of Afghanistan owns a friggin satellite phone?

To say the country is ready to navigate to a 100% broadband telecommunications network that relies on wireless signals and a nascent network of fiber that needs electricity to operate at the end user's residence is premature at best.

Wasn't it Judge Green who said "give me landline telephone service or give me death?"

back at it!

Happy New Year all!

Are we ready to get back into the swing of broadband stimulus funding watching? All has been quiet on the war front as of late, no?

I know I for one am eager to return to work, though I may have a few more items on my plate that may prohibit me from being the pesky agitator that I have grown to become and love becoming as of late.

On tap this week:

1. Wait patiently (which is not long for me) for a response to my queries before the holidays, then follow up with a phone call for some answers.

After then, I hope to have some insight or clues as to when to expect the next round of announcements. As usual, I am sure to share with the few of you who come to visit me occasionally.

2. Continue to scour for a good summary of the RFI comments. I am sure some associate(s) at some big AMLAW 100 firm have put one together. Now getting my grips on one is another story, altogether.

I am willing to exchange some wicked PowerPoint presentations about various Broadband Stimulus related stuff in exchange for a good summary I can post here. Any takers? Consider this my unsolicited offer for a fair trade.

3. Continue to engage the high level policy thinkers and makers I come in contact with for some additional clues on the status of this rollout

4. Sleep. Eat. Repeat.

That's all folks!

Oh and another thing, who else has started to get inquiries and solicitations from investors? I know most people have been getting pitches from manufacturers, installers and service subcontractors and support companies, but as of late, I've learned that some hedge funds, private equity folks and investment brokers have been reaching out to applicants --not just winners.

Isn't that interesting...