MaSSSoftech

Arizona has formed a state committee designed to target federal broadband stimulus dollars and spread the technology into rural areas.

The Arizona Broadband Advisory Committee will feature representatives from 10 state agencies as it looks for ways to capture some of the $1.6 billion that will be available initially for broadband grants.

The Arizona Government Information Technology Agency will support the committee. GITA’s director, Chad Kirkpatrick, will serve as committee chairman.

The advisory committee will prioritize federal broadband grant applications and make recommendations to the governor as to which of those projects would best deliver broadband services to unserved and underserved areas in Arizona, Kirkpatrick said.

The group will work on grants from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration. The state agencies participating include the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System and the state departments of Administration, Commerce, Education, Health Services, Homeland Security, Public Safety, Transportation and Land.