October 1, 2010 -- Governor Felix P. Camacho today announced that Guahan has been awarded $1,558,950 from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) for broadband mapping and planning. The grant, part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), will allow Guahan to more precisely identify areas that have limited or non-existent broadband coverage.

To fulfill the grant objectives, the Office of the Governor has partnered with One Economy Corporation and BroadMap to create a comprehensive territory-wide broadband availability map for Guahan that will include all of the island's communication carriers. The group will also conduct island-wide outreach to anchor institutions such as schools, libraries, and emergency first responders to determine actual broadband capabilities around the island. Information that is non-proprietary in nature will be publicly available via online maps and data that may be downloaded.

“The creation of comprehensive broadband infrastructure maps for our island that include all our local broadband providers is unprecedented and will undoubtedly be of great value to the community as it seeks to identify gaps in its broadband infrastructure," said Governor Camacho. “The information on these maps can help the government and local broadband providers develop broadband investment plans for Guahan.”

One Economy will concentrate the majority of its planning efforts on determining the barriers that are preventing people from using broadband and drawing on its decade of experience to figure out the best ways to increase broadband adoption. One Economy will engage the community at the local level and gather important information from the people who live there with an in-depth, multilingual survey. The outcome will be a “Digital Inclusion Blueprint,” which will enable Guahan to make the best broadband planning decisions.

“Leveraging technology to improve the economic, education, and health outcomes of low-income residents requires full community engagement at all levels,” said Moustafa Mourad, Interim President of One Economy. “This collaboration reflects community engagement and allows non-profit, corporate, and government leaders working with residents to expand broadband opportunities to underserved sectors of the community.”

“This is an extremely exciting partnership for us to participate in. Our MapConnect™ Broadband solution provides Guahan with a proven approach and tailored set of services to set the right goals and deliver the critical GIS information and NTIA required formats, on time and on budget,” said Daniel Perrone, CEO of BroadMap. “We believe our efforts will help Guahan understand broadband service levels in support of developing tools to drive consumer awareness and increase education, while establishing new jobs and greater opportunities for the residents of Guahan.”

ARRA has allotted $7.2 billion for the development and expansion of broadband nationwide, with $350 million set aside for the Broadband Data Improvement Act to enable states and territories to develop broadband serviceability maps.

For more information, please contact Charlene Calip at 671-475-9303 or 483-0589 or you may visit the governor’s web site at www.guamgovernor.net.

ONE ECONOMY is a global non-profit organization that uses innovative approaches to deliver the power of technology and information to low-income people. More than 19 million people have used One Economy’s online tools and resources, including public-purpose media at www.pic.tv to build better lives. Learn more at www.one-economy.com. To date, One Economy has launched on-the-ground programs in 42 U.S. states, Africa, Europe, Latin America and the Middle East.

BroadMap provides government, non-profit and commercial business partners with custom-fit Geographic Information System (GIS) solutions. Assembling top GIS talent to address our customers’ most pressing GIS needs has allowed BroadMap to generate new jobs and establish itself as both a community and market leader. BroadMap’s highly regarded technology team brings nearly 300 years of combined mapping experience across multiple industry sectors. This expertise allows BroadMap to enhance customer value through comprehensive, accurate and current digital maps and GIS solutions, while it continues to expand into data aggregation/verification, data conversion and consulting services. BroadMap is headquartered in Glen Allen, VA, with a Technology and Sales office in Lebanon, NH. www.broadmap.com