State Capacity Building:

This project will build on the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs’ (ADECA) current activities and enhance Alabama’s capacity to support and sustain regional broadband investment. As a result of this project, ADECA will hire three regional staff and one administrative staff person to manage and coordinate broadband activities across the state. In addition to providing regional leadership, these staff will provide support to the 12 existing regional broadband planning teams in the state as they begin implementing their strategic plans. ADECA, in partnership with a technical expert, such as one of the state research universities, will also design and provide training for the regional teams. This training will provide these teams with both the capacity and resources to continue working toward increased broadband availability and adoption in their communities. ADECA will also expand its broadband research efforts by conducting social and economic impact modeling, particularly in communities with limited broadband availability or low broadband adoption rates.

Data Collection, Integration, and Validation:

This project was originally funded for broadband planning activities and two years of data collection. In September of 2010, this project was amended to extend data collection activities for an additional three years and to identify and implement best practices.