NFBA News and Events

February 18, 2010 — North Florida Broadband Authority Receives Federal Grant from U.S. Department of Commerce

Today, the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce announced that the North Florida Broadband Authority (NFBA) has been awarded more than $30 million to enable and enhance real access to Broadband and high-speed connectivity for a 14-county region designated as a Rural Area of Critical Economic Concern (RACEC) in North Florida. The NFBA's grant application was selected from among 2,200 proposals submitted nationally to the U.S Department of Commerce.

An official press release document is available. Also, you can view the official Department of Commerce release outlining the NFBA's grant along with several others announced on the same day.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's) are available for more information on the grant award.

In addition, a media backgrounder and a message from Jeff Hendry, the Executive Director of the North Florida Economic Development Partnership (NFEDP), to NFBA members and supporters are available.

February 17, 2010 — Wakulla County Joins NFBA

Wakulla County has joined the North Florida Broadband Authority, becoming its 23rd governmental member.

December 7, 2009 — North Florida Broadband Authority Receives Notice of Advancement to Phase II

The North Florida Broadband Authority received Notice of Advancement to Phase II Due Diligence from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration. The NTIA will follow up this notice with additional questions that will clarify our application. The NFBA is one of the earliest applicants in the nation to advance to Phase II notification.

A Memorandum to Board Members has been posted elaborating on the notice.

October 14, 2009 — North Florida Broadband Authority Named Among High-Priority Projects in Florida

The State of Florida has named the North Florida Broadband Authority (NFBA) Grant Application one of the 8 highest priority applications. From among more than 120 total applications reviewed by the Governor's Office, The NFBA was among those applications determined to best meet the Statutory Goals of the Broadband Stimulus Program and the geographic priorities of the State. The State's priority endorsement is a HUGE step toward making the NFBA Middle Mile Network, and widespread Broadband access in the region a reality. Read the full letter from the Governor's office.

August 19, 2009 — North Florida Broadband Authority Submits Broadband Infrastructure Application

The Federal Broadband Grant Application was successfully completed and submitted a day before the (extended) due date of August 20, 2009. We received e-mail and website confirmation of both the receipt and completeness of our application. Subsequently, the Brief Project Summary contained in the application was sent from the RUS/NTIA (Rural Utility Services, National Telecommunications and Information Administration) to the State of Florida, among the other State applicants, for review and comment by the Governor’s office. We also were requested, by e-mail, to provide our authorization for the State reviewers to have visibility to the full Executive Summary, which we provided immediately.

Per the schedule released by the Federal Government, all applicants that will be asked to proceed to Step 2, project due diligence, will be notified on a rolling basis between September 14 and October 15, 2009, concurrent with the State review. The due diligence procedures in Step 2 are to be completed within the 30 days that follow notification by the RUS/NTIA. We are prepared to begin those procedures upon notification of advancing to Step 2.

There were more than 2200 applications submitted for Broadband stimulus funding, of which almost 1500 were for infrastructure grants. In Florida, there were approximately 35 infrastructure grant applications, including those from the 3 RACEC’s. Following due diligence and receipt of the State’s input on the projects that meet the greatest need, the grant award notices will begin on approximately November 7 and are to be completed by December 31, 2009.