Texas Partners with Connected Nation to Map Broadband Availability and Prepare for Federal Stimulus Funding

August 3, 2009
Texas Magazine

Last week Texas Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples announced a partnership between the Texas Department of Agriculture and Connected Nation, a national nonprofit, to create a broadband initiative called Connect Texas and to develop a detailed broadband inventory map to better position Texas for competitive funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). The map, which will feature the information of participating broadband providers large and small, is expected to serve as a key asset for the state as it prepares for federal stimulus funding to support broadband investment. Link to article

Broadband Stimulus Should Require Maps First, Say Congressmen

Government Technology
By Andy Opsahl
If two congressmen get their way, the awarding of stimulus money for broadband projects would be contingent upon completion of broadband mapping. U.S. Rep. Cliff Stearns, R-Fla., and U.S. Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, recently suggested that only local governments in states with completed maps of broadband coverage should receive stimulus money for broadband projects.
Link to Article