Deproduction, Denver Open Media, Civic Pixel, Free Speech TV, and the Alliance for Community Media are seeking partners to apply for Broadband Technology Opportunity Program (BTOP) funding to extend/expand the Open Media Project, a program initially funded by the Knight Foundation and currently in beta test phase.
We are looking for Public Access TV partners from rural communities, or urban areas with less than 40% broadband adoption, to implement the Open Media tool set in 2010 and 2011. Participating stations will receive $40,000 to achieve the development of a full-service custom website, establishment or expansion of a public
computer lab, and cooperative development of computer literacy and media training.
Stations must be able to allocate a $10,000 match. Matching funds can be related operational costs and/or capital equipment expenses. Stations must also demonstrate a capacity to maintain the new equipment and website,
whether through direct fund allocation or through re-allocated staff resources realized through the automation of the Open Media Project
tools.
To apply for the opportunity, please sign up for an account at openmediaproject.org and complete the BTOP application available there.
Comments
Opportunities for urban areas
Taking a look at this part from the Q/A - http://openmediaproject.org/content/questions-and-answers
Offhand, do you think there would be many areas in my metro area (Los Angeles) that would qualify? It seems like this could create a wide range of opportunities for those who need it most.
Also - How many applicants are you looking for and roughly how many will be approved? What types of support will these stations get in terms of education and training? Who would be responsible?
It seems like a framework for regional teams and training (http://groups.drupal.org/node/22619) could be a huge asset in many cases.
Gus Austin
PepperAlley Productions
Gus Austin
Home Broadband Adoption 2009
It's a Catch 22 situation. A federally funded program is requiring evidence of 40% or less broadband adoption, yet the FCC, a federal agency, has poor data.
Austin as a whole, one of the most wired cities in the US, has a relatively high broadband penetration rate. But the City has not conducted an ascertainment study for a more granular view in about 13 years.
So the best we can do as far as providing evidence of less than 40% adoption in certain sectors of the city is to extrapolate.
Here is some data by the Pew Research Center that could be extrapolated. Best guesses could be made.
Home Broadband Adoption 2009
http://pewinternet.org/Reports/2009/10-Home-Broadband-Adoption-2009.aspx
The question is whether BTOPS will accept this sort of guesswork, or if they are looking for hard numbers.
Good deal of Data for Los Angeles and California
Google search brought up quite a few results -
http://www.google.com/search?q=los+angeles+broadband+adoption+rates
Looks like there have been quite a few studies, and from a quick glance, it definitely looks like many areas of greater LA would qualify. Still curious how this all ties in with the OMP and the idea of training and working groups on a regional level. Think that would be a huge piece of this.
Gus Austin
PepperAlley Productions
Gus Austin
Deadline is August 10
Please note, an application deadline has been posted on openmediaproject.org:
"All applications must be complete and submitted by August 10, 2009. We apologize for this short notice, but this deadline is meant to ensure that all applications have ample time for review."
more data sources for broadband adoption
There are several listed here: http://www.websiteoptimization.com/bw/0804/
(They mention under the user comments in a response that many stats come from Netratings (Nielsen). If anyone has access to those they might be able to pull them.
Further Reading:
Leichtman Research Group
Provided the overall broadband penetration data for Figure 1, for primary residence US households. Based on FCC data and LRG research estimates.
Nielsen Online
Provided the US broadband penetration data for active Internet users for the Bandwidth Report.
Survey: 12% of consumers 'borrow' free Wi-Fi
Although illegal in some parts of the world, 12% of U.S. and U.K. respondents to an Accenture survey have logged on to someone else's unsecured Wi-Fi connection. The practice is more widespread in the US with 1 in 7 piggybacking onto free wireless networks, while 1 in 11 did the same in the UK. April 16, 2008, Network World.
The Need for Internet Speed: Broadband Penetration Increased More than 300% Since 2002
112 million Americans have broadband in their household, according to a survey from Scarborough Research. Since 2002, broadband penetration has increased by more than 300%. April 15, 2008, Scarborough Research.
Accepting second round of proposals
For those who missed it, OMF is accepting a second round of proposals until March 5, 2010 -
http://openmediaproject.org/btop
Gus Austin