Schumer Seeks $50 Million for Rural Wi-Fi
August 16, 2006
Wi-Fi Networking News' Glenn Fleishman picks up on an article by Wireless Week's Mark Rockwell, who reports that Senator Charles Schumer of New York wants to add $50 million to an existing Department of Agriculture rural broadband program, with the aim of getting more Wi-Fi built out in smaller towns and other rural areas.
Stifel Nicolaus analyst David Kaut worries that this kind of funding would undermine the plans of municipal broadband providers like EarthLink — but Rockwell suggests that Schumer's plans targets smaller communities that wouldn't attract the attention of a larger provider anyway.
According to Rockwell, Schumer's proposal works as follows:
- $50 million in federal funding to help rural areas install Wi-Fi broadband access
- NTIA creation of federal standards and best practices for establishing wireless networks in rural or underserved areas
- Tax breaks for individuals and businesses on installation and connection costs for broadband wireless networks, particularly Wi-Fi equipment, in rural or underserved areas