Internet service for thousands of people in two Arizona Indian communities will get a healthy boost and state and tribal libraries will provide 200 computer stations for Arizona's workforce thanks to $15.7 million in stimulus announced Friday by the White House.
President Barack Obama said the government would provide grants and loans to invest in 66 new Recovery Act broadband projects nationwide. The $795 million in grants and loans through the Departments of Commerce and Agriculture are matched by more than $200 million in outside investment.
The goal is to bring broadband service to communities that have little or no access to telephones and the Internet.
Three projects in Arizona will receive money. The largest amount, $10.5 million, will go to San Carlos Apache Telecommunications Utility Inc.
The utility will provide fiber-optic Internet service to more than 6,000 on the San Carlos Reservation. It will bring service to more than 20 businesses, emergency-service personnel, a hospital and more than 50 community institutions.
The money will be used to double the number of cellular towers on the reservation to 10. The towers are particularly needed in remote areas in the northern part of the reservation that are popular for recreational activity, including hunting, fishing, camping and hiking, said Jeff McCormick, the utility's public-affairs representative.
"One of the primary motivations was from a public-safety standpoint," he said. "A lot of people when they get up there, their cellular service is either very spotty or almost non-existent."
He said the money would also help boost wildfire prevention because improved communications would allow first responders to be better coordinated.
Shirley Ortiz, utility general manager, said the funds would be used for scattered homes in the northern part of the community that don't have landline coverage.
"We're going to compensate that with cellular," she said, adding that some jobs would also be created for tribal members.
"With a lot of new housing development that's going on the reservation, we will be able to offer broadband services to those new customers, scattered homes, as well as subdivisions here on the reservation. New jobs will be created because we're offering Internet DSL and soon to be Internet TV."
The tribe is building a new hospital and junior high and elementary schools, as well, Ortiz said.
"We've seen a lot of growth in this area, and we're just excited about receiving this grant money," she said. "It came at an opportune time for us."
Half of the $10.5 million is a grant and the other half will be paid back at low interest rates. The program is administered through the USDA Rural Utilities Service.
Money was also awarded to Hopi Telecommunications Inc. It will receive $3.6 million to connect Jeddito with existing broadband service more than 60 miles away.
Carroll Onsae, the utility's general manager, said there are more than 400 homes in the Jeddito area that do not have landline or cellphone service. Another area called Spider Mound, which has roughly 200 homes, will also be served.
"There's another piece to this project where we will be building our infrastructure to be able to connect the outside world by way of fiber optic," he said. "Right now, we get off the reservation by way of microwave and that has some serious limitations even today and will be even more so in the future. This will enable us to provide services such as telemedicine, long-distance learning and perhaps other services that will require a much higher bandwidth."
According to the White House, the Hopi project will create jobs up-front, and more than 7,000 people stand to benefit from the new or improved service, as well as dozens of businesses and 20 community organizations.
The Arizona Office of Economic Recovery will receive $1.6 million to go along with an additional $706,000 it put up to expand computer centers at 28 state and tribal libraries. Specialized virtual workforce workstations will be provided at 200 locations throughout the state.
The broadband projects will create 5,000 jobs in the United States, the White House said, and the projects will help spur economic development in some of the nation's hardest-hit communities.
The projects are expected to help tens of millions of Americans, more than 685,000 businesses, 900 health-care facilities and 2,400 schools, the government said.
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Arizona grant recipients
- San Carlos Apache Telecommunications Utility Inc.
The $10.5 million will provide fiber-to-the-premise service to the San Carlos Apache Reservation. More than 6,000 people, 20 businesses and 50 community institutions including emergency-service personnel, a hospital and facilities that currently are not served will benefit.
- Hopi Telecommunications Inc.
The utility will connect Jeddito with existing broadband infrastructure more than 60 miles away, thanks to a $3.6 million grant and loan. In addition, the company will connect residents of Jeddito and Spider Mound who do not have service. More than 7,000 people stand to benefit, as do dozens of businesses and more than 20 community institutions.
- Arizona Office of Economic Recovery
A $1.6 million grant with a $706,000 match provided by the office will be used to expand computer centers at 28 state and tribal libraries and provide specialized virtual-workforce workstations at 200 locations.
Source: White House Office of the Press Secretary.
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Autor(en)/Author(s): John Yantis
Quelle/Source: AZ Central, 02.07.2010
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