The LinkIDAHO Initiative

Welcome to the LinkIDAHO website. Here you’ll find important news and resources related to our mapping and planning efforts.

Feel free to visit our site often for the latest in broadband-related news and resources.

Funding for LinkIDAHO

Latest News

• The Tri-State Telecommunications Conference will be held at the Snow King Resort in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, July 31 - August 2.
• The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has issued a Request for Information (RFI) seeking public comments relating to the development of the State and Local Implementation grant program.
• Application deadline for the USDA Rural Development 2012 Community Connect Grant Program is June 18, 2012.

  USDA RUS will host two webinars to inform participants about the major eligibility and regulatory requirements of the program and will provide detailed guidance on how to submit a successful grant application. Preregistration is required for webinar participation, and space is limited.

• For the first time ever, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is launching a competition to discover the best ways to increase broadband adoption rates among low-income Americans.
• On April 25, the FCC officially launched its Connect America Fund, an expansion of its phone subsidy program to include support for broadband.
• On April 24, 2012, the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) launched a Connecting America's Communities Map. The Map provides a visual depiction of BTOP grant recipient activities in each state, a dashboard that shows the total number of communities and institutions to be connected, and public computer centers pertaining to BTOP-funded projects.

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Funding for LinkIDAHO

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 made funding possible for broadband projects, including mapping and planning, infrastructure, public computer centers and sustainable adoption programs. States' broadband mapping and planning projects are made possible through the National Telecommunications and Information Administration's (NTIA) State Broadband Data and Development (SBDD) grant program.

In Nov. 2009, Idaho received an approximately $1.8 million grant to fund the State's SBDD project years 1-2. An additional $2.6 million grant was awarded in Sept. 2010 to fund project years 3-5.

This project will serve as a catalyst for increased access to and use of broadband to better serve our citizens. With ubiquitous broadband, we can realize improved economic development, access to education and health care, enhanced public safety, improved government efficiencies, increased tourism, greater access to telework opportunities and more.

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Why LinkIDAHO?

Through initial research, we understand there are many reasons Idahoans do not use broadband. Perhaps the most commonly cited barrier is access: broadband must be available in order to adopt it. Where broadband is available, barriers to adopting it include high subscription costs, lack of broadband-ready devices, low awareness of broadband uses and concerns about privacy and security on the Internet. Through community collaboration and regional planning, this project will address these issues and many more.

In order to address expansion of this technology, we must first have a clear picture of where broadband currently exists in the state, and thus where our gaps in coverage are. Following a thorough assessment and inventory of key Idaho assets, we have developed an online, interactive tool revealing our broadband footprint. A beta version of this tool, available on this site in August 2010, will display detailed maps of broadband coverage in both rural and urban areas throughout the state. Ultimately, these maps will provide consumers with links to individual broadband providers in their area.

While consumers may use this content to identify and order broadband services, it is equally important for policymakers and Internet Service Providers (ISPs). Policymakers can identify and address barriers to expansion. ISPs can identify gaps in coverage and an estimated cost to fill them.

To this point, we have been unable to accurately articulate the levels of current and future demand for broadband services for Idaho businesses, households and community anchor institutions. By collecting and analyzing market data, we will be able to profile county-specific broadband service demands and complete a geographic analysis of that demand relative to available infrastructure.

Another challenge LinkIDAHO will address is the absence of coordinated regional leadership to plan and implement local sustainable adoption. Later this year, we will facilitate regional technology planning teams to develop effective, local strategies and regional broadband plans.

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Our Role in Addressing Broadband Challenges and Solutions

LinkIDAHO is not intended to replace or compete with other broadband efforts in our state, but rather to identify and work with new and existing projects that share our goal. Through collaboration, we can finally realize greater access to and use of broadband technologies to improve business opportunities and the quality of life for all Idahoans.