$1.8 billion in broadband awards announced today

Ninety-four companies, groups, universities and other entities in 37 states won broadband investment money today from the federal economic stimulus package. The awards announced today total $1.8 billion, perhaps the largest single group announced at one time, and went mostly to rural areas.

The money comes through the Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and the Department of Agriculture’s Rural Utilities Service (RUS) – to expand broadband access and adoption across the country." Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a press release, "The broadband projects announced today will give rural Americans access to the tools they need to attract new businesses, jobs, health care and educational opportunities." (Read more)

The largest award went to "establish or upgrade broadband connections at nearly 500 health care and education sites" in Arkansas, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports. Many of which are matched in part by private or state funds; a North Carolina grant will be matched by $25 million in earnings from the state's share of the national tobacco settlement, Jeff Drew of the Triangle Business Journal reports. North Carolina got four other grants. The 10 largest state-specific awards:

1. University of Arkansas, $102,131,393
2. California Broadband Cooperative Inc., $81,148,788
3. MCNC (nonprofit), North Carolina, $75,757,289
4. State of Oklahoma, $73,998,268
5. State of Mississippi, $70,055,000
6. Merit Network Inc. (Michigan's Upper Peninsula and adjoining Minnesota and Wisconsin), $69,639,291; see AnnArbor.com
7. Horizon Telecom Inc., Ohio, $66,474,247
8. Central Management Services, Illinois, $61,895,282
9. Trillion Communications Corp., Alabama, $59,258,545
10. Virgin Islands Public Financing Authority, $58,888,469

The next largest award went to Hughes Network Systems, $58,777,306 for a national project. In Kentucky, two awards were given to Windstream Corp., totaling $58,762,826, which would make it the 12th largest award. Altogether, Windstream (formerly Alltel) was awarded over $64 million. Windstream "has won funding for 12 out of 30 projects for which it requested funding," Joan Engebretson of Connected Planet reports.

"An application for $348 million made by Qwest for projects throughout its serving area is still pending — and according to comments made by RUS administrator Jonathan Adelstein, the company will either win all of the funding it requested or nothing," Engebretson writes. "Some companies, such as TDS Telecom and Windstream, made separate applications on a state-by-state basis, but Qwest put its funding request into one single application. 'We only award an entire service area applied for,' Adelstein said." (List of winners PDF and Excel)