Deadline extended for BIP, BTOP broadband stimulus infrastructure hopefuls

MARCH 4, 2010 By Stephen Hardy -- Potential applicants for the second round of broadband stimulus funding will receive more time to prepare their filings. Both the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture have extended their filing deadlines -- but not to the same date.

The NTIA says that it has extended the deadline for proposed Comprehensive Community Infrastructure (CCI) projects under the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) to 5:00 p.m. EDT on March 26. However, the deadline for applications for Public Computer Center (PCC) and Sustainable Broadband Adoption (SBA) projects will remain March 15.

Meanwhile, RUS has extended the filing deadline for Broadband Infrastructure Program (BIP) infrastructure projects until March 29.

The application period for the second round of funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act opened February 16 (see “New round of broadband stimulus funding opens”). The two agencies will make $4.8 billion available in this round.