The North Florida Broadband Authority's (NFBA) middle mile project, which had broadband its stimulus funds restored, is now back on track and set to go live at the end of March.
When it completes the construction of its core network, it will provide services to both public organizations, including state and local government agencies in addition to area service providers that can use the network for backbone capacity.
Delivered at their fiber access points, NFBA will offer bandwidth services at 1, 10 and 100 Mbps increments. It will also offer colocation services with Internet access from their data center in Tampa.
NFBA will offer complementary microwave-based access throughout its 15-county service area.
Last fall, the project came to a halt after the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Office of Acquisition and Grants (NOAA) decided to "suspend" funding due to investigation of alleged waste.
Following the investigation, the NFBA submitted what it calls a plan of "corrective action" to get the funding restored. This corrective action included the appointment of NFBA General Manager Richelle Sucara and having Project Management and Engineering oversee the project.
Florida, of course, isn't the only state where broadband stimulus scandals have emerged. Over the past year, a number of broadband initiatives have come under fire, including Louisiana, where the U.S. Dept. of Commerce revoked an $80.5 million grant provided to the state in the first round of broadband stimulus funding.
For more:
- Suwannee Democrat has this article
Special report: Broadband stimulus scandals: Missteps in the buildout, and what's at stake
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