[OPLINTECH] Update on federal stimulus broadband grants

[Stephen Hedges]

New information about federal stimulus funds for broadband has been posted
in the http://oplin.org/broadbandgrants section of the OPLIN website, most
notably brief synopses of the public meetings which just concluded
yesterday.

Unlike some other stimulus programs, it looks as if the broadband grants
will not be distributed by the states but will come directly from the
federal government, although states might well be called upon to help with
the selection of successful applicants. I might have more information
about this after the April 3 meeting of the Ohio Broadband Council.

At this point, it might be wise for libraries who think they may want to
apply for these grants to go ahead and start the process by taking care of
some basic application requirements. The central clearinghouse for all
federal grants is http://grants.gov and you'll need to be registered there
in order to apply for a grant. You can also take a look at the standard
SF-424 Core Forms,
http://www07.grants.gov/agencies/approved_standard_forms.jsp, which are
the beginning point for any competitive federal grant. The grant
application materials specific to broadband have not yet been released,
but will be posted on grants.gov when they are ready (sometime after April
13).

Remember that CIPA requires libraries to install filters on their Internet
computers before they can receive federal funding, including grants, for
computers and Internet access.

Stephen

-- 
Stephen Hedges, Executive Director
Ohio Public Library Information Network (OPLIN)
2323 W. 5th Avenue, Suite 130
Columbus, Ohio  43204
614-728-5250    AIM: hedgesst