Broadband stimulus grant to provide $6.4 million for public computer centers

Federal broadband stimulus dollars will bring 800 new public computers to Philadelphia, the same number currently available throughout the Free Library‘s 54 regional branches.

On Friday the Division of Technology announced that it will receive $6.4 million in federal dollars to fund public computer centers, new and old, throughout the city, according to a press release.

Twenty-five existing computer centers will be improved and 48 centers created at anchor institutions that include city recreation centers, homeless shelters, public housing and community-based organizations. Hours of access at the existing public centers will also be increased, providing for 14,000 more people per week.

The project—led by DOT—includes partnerships with the Department of Parks and Recreation and the Free Library of Philadelphia. Philadelphia FIGHT, the People’s Emergency Center, Philadlephia OIC and Media Mobilizing Project will also be involved.

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Pennsylvania has submitted 1,000 stimulus reports to feds

Since October, Pennsylvania has submitted 1,000 stimulus reports to the federal government and has been a leader among state governments in reporting data about its $12 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds, Government Technology reports.

An interview with state Secretary of Administration Naomi Wyatt reveals that software for procurement, financials and budget, provided by SAP since 2002, has helped the state submit reports. The software provider’s BusinessObjects suite also has aided in more substantial and detailed reporting, which delves deep into the state’s 19 agencies and 3,500 vendors, grantees and subgrantees.

Be sure to read the entire interview with Wyatt over at GovTech.

State makes moves after NTIA awards $2.2 million for broadband maps, plans

Rendell was quite prepared for $2.2 million in federal broadband research and planning funds that we reported Thursday.

A spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development tells Technically Philly that the state is already in negotiations with a yet undisclosed vendor to handle the job.

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Pennsylvania receives $2.2 million for broadband data collection

A $2.2 million federal grant for broadband data and mapping in Pennsylvania will help the state's broadband vision, outlined in a report here by the Rendell Administration (PDF).

A federal grant will fund research into the digital divide and ways to solve it in Pennsylvania.

The National Telecommunication and Information Administration announced Tuesday that Pennsylvania has been awarded a two-year, $1.7 million grant to collection data about broadband adoption, MuniWireless reports. An additional $500,000 will be used for planning a broadband strategy in the state, bringing the total award to $2.2 million.

A spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, which will handle the funds, was not immediately available for comment.

The NTIA has awarded $97 million to 51 grantees so far and will likely wrap up the remaining grants this quarter. The grants -which will be awarded to each state, the District of Columbia and five territories – are a part of the Obama administration’s strategy to improve broadband adoption in the U.S.

More than $300 million was set aside in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to collect data to better assist the NTIA in distributing $7.2 billion to improve broadband infrastructure, create public computers centers and promote sustainable broadband adoption.

The City of Philadelphia requested $35 million in the NTIA’s first round of broadband investment, as we reported in September. The NTIA has not yet announced which projects will receive funding.

Biggest tech community stories we covered in 2009

Happy New Year, folks.

It’s been an exciting year for us. Though we’ll be celebrating our first birthday in February, we’ve had a chance to take part in Philadelphia’s vibrant technology community for 10 months. We’ve seen the amazing things that this community offered in 2009. Coming up on our 500th published story about this community, we’re proud to be a part of it. And we’re ecstatic to see what lie ahead.

No, Technically Philly has not started its own Mummer troupe. We do, however, want to ring in the new year by taking a look back at our top stories of 2009. Our month-by-month perspective, after the jump.

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NTIA extends broadband stimulus grant deadline

The City of Philadelphia has had a few extra days to perfect its application for the broadband stimulus grant.

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration announced late last week that because of an influx of application uploads, the deadline was extended one week to August 20, this Wednesday, from August 14.

We reported on the City’s stimulus proposal in a long-form multimedia feature package last week.

The city hopes to nab some of $4.6 billion in broadband stimulus grants being provided by the Broadband Initiatives Program and Broadband Technology Opportunities Program set aside by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Lead by Chief Technology Officer Allan Frank, the city has developed a proposal that utilizes current city infrastructure to build and improve upon a hybrid mesh network that would connect city departments, public centers (like schools and libraries), and private institutions like businesses and universities.

The network is part of discussions that Frank calls his Digital Philadelphia vision, a conversation that he hopes will guide the next 10 years of technology innovation in Philadelphia. We first reported on Frank’s vision when he announced it at a Refresh Philly meeting in May.

Frank faces scrutiny for the vision following the failure of Wireless Philadelphia, former Mayor John Street’s initiative to bridge the digital divide with a free municipal-wide WiFi network.

Interstate 95 to see $74 million in highway technology improvements

One of the nation’s largest technology initiatives aimed at curbing traffic and pollution is coming to Philadelphia, according to a report from Stateline.org.

And we have plenty of traffic on I-95, which is said to handle more than 120,000 vehicles per day — as if that number had any meaning to you whatsoever.

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, or PennDOT to friends, is gearing up for a $74 million undertaking that would equip 72 miles of I-95 corridor in and around Philly with intelligent transportation system installations.

The project is part of more than $257 million in cash from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which PennDOT plans to spend in Philadelphia’s five-county region, according to a department press release.

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Rendell unveils Web site to track stimulus spending

A graph on recovery.pa.gov breaks down how stimulus funds will be spent in Pennsylvania.

On Wednesday, Governor Ed Rendell announced plans to ensure accountability for the distribution of $16 billion that Pennsylvania will receive from the federal economic stimulus package. Gov. Rendell unveiled a new Web site to track how funds are spent, recovery.pa.gov, and said he would appoint a Chief Accountability Officer to oversee the process.

“The Web site we’re unveiling today provides a window to this process for everyone to see. The public will be able to track how every dime is spent and for what project and where. We’re committed to making this an open process for everyone,” Rendell said in a press release.

According to the release, citizens will be able to track expenditures that will be updated quarterly and provide input on how funds are invested. A sample template on the Web site shows that individual projects will be tracked by county, and provide details such as completion status, location, project schedule, dollar value of contracts, contractors, and the number of jobs created and saved. The site will be linked to Pennsylvania’s accounting system.

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Stimulus: $20b for U.S. health IT; $101m for PA energy, $25m for PA school tech

Last Sunday we outlined Philadelphia’s “shovel-ready” tech proposals that could potentially be funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, and although it is still unclear what funds Philly will receive, we’re beginning to have a better picture since President Obama signed the bill.

Last week, The Morning Call reported that $101 million will be afforded to alternative energy investments through the state’s energy program. Some of that could go toward Philly’s proposals of installing 3,000 LED lamps in signalized intersections that could save the city $1 million per year in energy costs. It could also be funneled into plans for a Residential Solar Energy loan fund.

There’s good news for Health Camp Philadelphia, who followed up on our proposal post with hopes that electronic medical records could become a reality for medical institutions throughout the city. According to Modern Healthcare, $19.2 billion has been earmarked in the bill for health information technology. Gov. Ed Rendell spoke at the National Governors Association’s annual winter meeting on Saturday, and expressed support for long-term datelined provisions, such as the switch to electronic records. Some health care systems, like Albert Einstein in Philadelphia, have made in-roads on their own for an electronic switch, as we reported.

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Chew on Philly’s tech proposals in bailout package

Unemployment rate increases by county are shown in yellow and circles represent jobs created by the stimulus package. Credit: Off the Map

President Obama is expected to sign the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act this week after Congress passed the historic bill on Friday. Previously, Obama has promised to cut pork from the bill and only fund necessary and promising projects by appropriating money to encompassing federal grant programs.

StimulusWatch.org has been keeping an eye on the bill, allowing citizens to vote on the projects that they think will best impact their cities. Have a look at Philadelphia’s proposals.

There are a number of projects that show a heightened desire to improve technology and green energy initiatives in Philadelphia.
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