Comments on: NTIA seeks volunteers to evaluate broadband grant applications

By: Larry Karisny

Larry Karisny — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 16:25:12 +0000

Thanks for the heads up Esme. I am afraid we are in a damned if you do and damned if you don’t situation. We rightfully deserve compensation for our knowledge, work, heart, soul and sometimes house in offering true wireless broadband technologies and topologies for our nation. I am one of them.

If we don’t get involved even for free then we leave the door open for a handful of powerful organizations that frankly don’t get it. These organizations already have the lobbyists telling the federal, state and municipal consultants what to do and will just leverage their employees and suppose to be non-bias not for profits members to be BTOP reviewers. I agree we deserve to get paid because we have already been in the trenches. We already know what works and what doesn’t. We learned the hard way, by researching, testing and doing. To loose this experience and knowledge base would be devastating to the success of broadband stimulus program.

My suggestion is to give the whole MuniWireless Directory list to the BTOP reviewer organization and suggest if they want the program to be successful these peoples experience be taken seriously. The cost of their services compared to the potential of the BTOP failing is nothing. As an independent consultant and researcher, I always look for someone who has minimally already made a mistake or has had success. Why start from scratch? We have already weeded out the hype and can pretty much tell you what works, what doesn’t and were the improvements need to be made. The big guys will just offer their one size fits all (and it doesn’t) solution. Send the directory Esme. It might be our last chance to do it right.

By: bubba

bubba — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 12:26:18 +0000

Well I have been in the ISP / WISP game MANY MANY Years.
I have seen companies try to provide wireless come and go.
After Katrina I did a good bit of grant reviewing.
Trust me, we need as many folks reviewing these grant requests as we can.
II am sure that each request will be reviewed by mmore than one person.

I would hope that the info provided for review would be cleansed of the info needed to commit fraud (we do not need to know the “vendor” nor do we need to know the company.

It is the deployment plan that fails or succeeds.
That is what we need to look at.
I know what it would take to pull off providing wireless here in my area, so I would better know if a plan would work here or not.
I am sure that is what they are after.
we all know just because you build it, it does not mean they will pay to use it.

We are the ones who can best make the calls.

I for one have no problemm giving my time to help with getting broadband everywhere I can.

And I am not insulted one bit, I give more than 20 % my time for free now anyway, what is another few hours here and there in the big picture.

And we would not be awarding any grant money, we would just give feedback on the requests.

By: Arnon Kohavi

Arnon Kohavi — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 01:54:52 +0000

So people will be working for “free” and will be responsible to award grants for million of dollars? Will these individuals be prevented from accepting “consulting” positions with equipment vendors at that time? or can they simply award the grants to the companies that they consult with? Has anyone even thought about the conflict of interest?

By: Brian

Brian — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 00:21:15 +0000

Insult falls short, but I can’t think of the right word to describe this. I’ve built broadband networks for rural America (mortgaged my home to serve hundreds of thousands and never asked for a govt handout), and last week sent an email offering to help review the soon-to-be flood of applications. I have watched RUS dole out HUGE sums of taxpayer dollars to thieves who have never built a network, have no desire to do so, and are living it up until they bankrupt their non-existent entities only to keep a little personal stash hidden away for their greedy selves. Stop this non-sense! Put the money to use on rebuilding our broken transit system. Not a nickel should be spent until we can deliver 100mb to every home and business. I cant imagine volunteering to work for an incompetent bureaucrat who thinks that their time is worth more than mine!

By: Carl Peede

Carl Peede — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 23:39:22 +0000

I totally agree! This is an insult! Why, however, do I not find this myopic move surprising?!

On a larger scale, it’s reflective of governmental “thinking” in general and the new administration’s “thought process” specifically. I hope everyone now sees why the Government should not be running GM, the banks, or our healthcare system!!!!