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American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA)

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, Pub. L. 111-5, (ARRA) was enacted to preserve and create jobs and promote economic recovery, assist those most impacted by the recession, provide investments needed to increase economic efficiency by spurring technological advances in science and health, invest in transportation, environmental protection, and other infrastructure that will provide long-term economic benefits, stabilize State and local government budgets, in an effort to minimize and avoid reductions in essential services.

ARRA Website

Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP)

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act provided the Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Utilities Service (RUS) with $7.2 billion to expand access to broadband services in the United States. Of those funds, the Act provided $4.7 billion to NTIA to support the deployment of broadband infrastructure, enhance and expand public computer centers, encourage sustainable adoption of broadband service, and develop and maintain a nationwide public map of broadband service capability and availability.
NTIA administers the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) within three project categories:

Comprehensive Community Infrastructure:
Projects to deploy new or improved broadband Internet facilities (e.g., laying new fiber-optic cables or upgrading wireless towers) and to connect “community anchor institutions” such as schools, libraries, hospitals, and public safety facilities. These networks help ensure sustainable community growth and provide the foundation for enhanced household and business broadband Internet services.
Public Computer Centers:
Projects to establish new public computer facilities or upgrade existing ones that provide broadband access to the general public or to specific vulnerable populations, such as low-income individuals, the unemployed, seniors, children, minorities, and people with disabilities.
Sustainable Broadband Adoption:
Projects that focus on increasing broadband Internet usage and adoption, including among vulnerable populations where broadband technology traditionally has been underutilized. Many projects include digital literacy training and outreach campaigns to increase the relevance of broadband in people’s everyday lives.

BTOP Website

Stimulus Awards

Round I Award

Plateau* Middle Mile

The Plateau* Middle Mile project intends to enhance broadband capabilities for critical community anchor institutions in eastern New Mexico and west Texas by lighting a more than 1,600-mile ring of fiber and constructing 74 miles of new fiber in five communities. The project plans to connect more than 200 anchor institutions – including educational institutions, public safety organizations, healthcare facilities, and government agencies – at speeds of up to 1 Gbps. In addition, the network intends to offer wholesale services and facilitate broadband expansion to an estimated 20 communities and an area with nearly 700,000 homes, over 36,000 businesses, and 263 anchor institutions.

Total Award:
$11,252,066

Fact Sheet: http://www2.ntia.doc.gov/files/grantees/NM_ENMRTeleCoop_FINAL.pdf

Round II Award

Extending the Middle Mile: Plateau* Middle Mile CCI Project

To provide much-needed broadband capacity to critical community facilities in underserved west Texas and eastern New Mexico communities, Plateau* plans to construct 189 miles of new fiber and utilize 418 miles of additional existing fiber to create a middle mile broadband network spanning central and eastern New Mexico and parts of western Texas.
Expanding its $11.2M BTOP Round One infrastructure award, ENMR plans to deploy its network into additional underserved areas with 1 Gbps middle-mile speeds. The project proposes to facilitate distance learning and education for tens of thousands of residents by significantly improving broadband connections at schools and higher education institutions. Plateau* plans to partner with both New Mexico and Texas colleges and universities, regional utility companies, and other service providers as needed to further maximize use of fiber and broadband capacity.

Total Award:
$16,460,815

Fact Sheet: http://www2.ntia.doc.gov/files/grantees/enmr.pdf

Fort Sumner Fiber

"Over the last three decades, Plateau has led the region in the adoption of fiber optic cable. The early focus was to set the groundwork that would eventually lead to connecting every Cooperative member’s home or business to an all fiber telecommunications network offering greater capacity and speeds to meet current and future customer demands. Those first efforts are now reaching fruition. Recently, Plateau successfully upgraded Cooperative members within the city limits of Clayton, Logan and Farwell from the long-time industry standard of copper cable to modern fiber optic cable—Cooperative members in Fort Sumner are next with Santa Rosa to follow soon!"

Fort Sumner Fiber FAQ - pdf