The Rural Utilities Service (RUS) and National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) have announced through their respective websites that all applications selected to receive a reward under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 have been notified. This officially concludes the application and selection process. For those of us that have been watching this process with interest, we can now shift our attention to how the funds the selected applicants are being utilized.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 appropriated \$7.2 billion to “expand broadband access to unserved and underserved communities across the U.S., increase jobs, spur investments in technology and infrastructure, and provide long-term economic benefits.” The funds are being administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Rural Utilities Service (RUS) and the Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA).