Gov. Bill Ritter today announced two public meetings to help Internet providers and the public participate in the Colorado Broadband Data and Development Program, funded by $2.1 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The meetings are organized by the Governor's Office of Information Technology (OIT) and will be held in Denver on Tuesday, Feb. 2 and Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2010.
"The Recovery Act is helping Colorado bridge the digital divide by investing in a number of projects that will expand high-speed Internet to communities across the state," said Gov. Ritter. "These meetings are part of an ongoing effort to help Coloradans and the business community access opportunities and to take part in shaping Colorado's future."
OIT has been awarded $1.6 million for broadband data collection and mapping activities over a two-year period and almost $500,000 for broadband planning activities over a five-year period. In December, the office released Colorado's first ever maps of broadband availability throughout the state. While these maps provide important baseline data, the ARRA-funded project will enable OIT to update these maps over a multi-year period to account for coverage changes and new information.
To kick off the project, OIT is hosting the two meetings at its Denver office for providers of broadband internet and interested parties. Individuals may participate in-person or via conference bridge.
Meeting Information:
- Tuesday, Feb. 2, from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. at 601 East 18th Avenue, Confluence Park Conference Room.
- Tuesday, Feb. 9, from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. at 601 East 18th Avenue, Confluence Park Conference Room.
- Contact COBroadband@state.co.us to RSVP and to obtain call-in instructions. Registration will close on Jan. 29, for the first meeting and on Feb. 5, for the second meeting.
At least $5.7 billion in Recovery Act funds are expected to come to Colorado over the next two years. More information about the Recovery Act and its impact on Colorado can be found at www.colorado.gov/recovery.
