Now that the Round 2 deadline for BIP and BTOP Stimulus Funding applications has passed, it is time for service providers to start preparing their responses. In making these preparations, you should be asking a few key questions:

• Do you know what Census Tracts or Census Block Groups your network serves?
• Do you know which applicants Proposed Funded Service Areas (PFSAs) contain Census Block Groups/Tracts that overlap with your service territory?
• Do you have adequate resources to handle the manually intensive process of entering your service area maps into the RUS Mapping Tool?
• Do you have an experienced partner that can help you meet the 25 day window for comments for NTIA, and the separate 30 day window for comments for RUS?

If you can't answer "Yes" to all of these questions then you should know that Broadband Consulting Group (BBCGi) is uniquely positioned to help you with the incumbent response process.

Since 2003, BBCGi has been supporting small, medium and large telecommunications companies with their marketing and competitive research needs. More recently, BBCGi has done extensive work in supporting the RUS and NTIA funding programs including automating input into the RUS Mapping Tool.

BBCGi saw the need for an automated process to input mapping data directly into the RUS Mapping Tool and has developed a proprietary application that eliminates the need to manually draw your service area maps. BBCGi's internal map generation tool (dubbed "Map-o-Matic") utilizes latitude and longitude map coordinates for any complex service area (including multiple holes and cutouts) and automatically inputs accurate RUS maps in a matter of minutes, not days.

BBCGi's stimulus funding expertise, proven methodology and automated mapping tools yields results that are fast, accurate and cost-effective. If that is of interest to you, then please contact us for more information.

The "Map-o-Matic" Process

Step 1: Obtain a service area map or data file from the client (ESRI compliant shape file, CAD, JPG, PDF, or a list of Census Block Groups/Tracts)

Step 2: BBCGi converts the client map into a set of latitude and longitude coordinates for the service area (including any un-served areas within the overall service area that need to be removed).

Step 3: BBCGi then takes these coordinates and converts them into Map-o-Matic compatible input files: one for the outer boundary, and additional coordinates for each un-served area that needs to be removed.

Step 4: Once the input files have been configured, BBCGi simply loads the files into the Map-o-Matic application within the RUS Mapping Tool to generate the online service territory maps:

During both Round 1 and Round 2, BBCGi assisted a number of clients in preparing their funding applications to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) for Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) and Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP) stimulus funding. BBCGi has collected data on over three million households across the country to determine broadband availability, broadband penetration, and competitive providers.

In Round 2, BBCGi adapted its methodologies to meet the specific reporting criteria for both RUS and NTIA applications.

• BBCGi made the necessary determinations of served/unserved/underserved and remote/rural/non-rural for our clients. Our data was leveraged to more effectively define service areas with optimum levels of determinations and subscription rates, as well as to provide the basic data required for completing the applications.
• BBCGi quickly surveyed proposed funded service areas to determine whether a specific Census Block Group (CBG) met the criteria for unserved or underserved, as outlined in both the BTOP and the BIP NOFAs. BBCGi deployed a combination of proprietary network testing and used existing provider knowledge to determine whether a specific CBG or funded service area met the eligibility criteria for RUS or NTIA.
• BBCGi assisted with the construction of maps by CBG, as well as the geographic and demographic descriptions of the proposed funded service areas. BBCGi received city names, lists of ZIP codes, lists of addresses (or other formats as needed) from clients and provided the list of Census Designated Communities (CDCs) and Census Blocks (CBs) required to properly identify proposed funded service areas.
• BBCGi also helped clients understand who would be evaluating the application and how, and provided critical support, as needed, throughout the evaluation process, including providing the necessary data to improve application scores.

Whether you are an incumbent seeking to respond to an application, or an applicant entering Due Diligence, BBCGi can provide factual information and research to ensure that both NTIA and RUS allocate funding to the areas that meet the eligibility criteria and have the greatest need.