BTOP Review of Applications

As described in the “Grants and Funding” section of this website, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act provided grant funding for a range of broadband expansion programs throughout the country. One such program, the Broadband Technology Opportunity Program was launched in 2009 and will continue in 2010.

The BTOP Program’s guidelines allow the NTIA to consult with states, territories, possessions and the District of Columbia regarding the identification of unserved and underserved areas within their borders and the allocation of grant funds to projects affecting each state. Accordingly, NTIA made relevant information about projects submitted for each state available on broadbandusa.gov. This site allows states and the public to review each project, reflecting applicant's name, contact information, amount requested and a brief description of the application. Applicants were also given the opportunity to upload their project's Executive Summary to the site. Applications submitted for projects in Alabama can be found here.

NTIA is affording states the opportunity to comment on BTOP applications that propose serving areas within their jurisdiction, as well as providing an explanation of why certain applications meet the greatest needs of the state. Information provided by states will be among the factors considered by NTIA in making final awards. States are not required to rank or comment on BTOP applications in order for applications to receive funding, and states were advised that they may choose to comment on some, but not all, of the applications submitted on behalf of their state.

BTOP State Consultation Process

The Alabama Broadband Initiative (ALBI) has established a BTOP Review Committee, comprised of voting members of the Advisory Board who neither engaged in the submission of an application themselves nor are related or biased in any way to the applicants. Members signed a non-disclosure agreement stating that they would hold any information shared with the committee (that is granted protection under the Freedom of Information Act as 'confidential' or 'proprietary;' i.e., social security numbers, home addresses or other personal data) in strictest confidence, and that members of the committee, in order to accomplish a fair and unbiased review process, have no substantive personal or business interest in the outcome of the review process.

ALBI posts all meetings of the full board, the executive committee and ad hoc committees, such as the BTOP Review Committee, on www.openmeetings.alabama.gov. Interested individuals can register to receive notices of all meetings through said website.

Criteria and Review of Applications

It is NTIA's and ALBI's intent that BTOP funds will support projects that meet the greatest needs and provide the greatest possible benefits to the state of Alabama. Alabama’s review process will mirror the criteria set forth by NTIA for the BTOP program, taking into consideration the project’s purpose, benefits, viability, budget and sustainability. Applications will also be assessed for those that best address infrastructure gaps in the state's unserved areas, will enhance and/or expand service offerings in underserved areas, will expand the use of broadband technology to better serve our citizenry and will provide public access to computers in underserved communities.