According to the information forwarded by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) - the two federal agencies to award broadband stimulus funds -, almost 2,200 applications have been received for first lap of grants and loans for broadband deployment in the US.

With $7.2 billion earmarked for the broadband projects in the $787 billion economic stimulus bill, out of which $4 billion would be initially available, the number of applications received far surpasses the funds available - thereby requiring as much as $28 billion worth of broadband projects!

Providing details about the applications, NTIA and RUS said that nearly 1,490 applications have been filed by companies for infrastructure grants, which totals nearly 23.2 billion worth of projects; 320 applications requested a total of $2.5 billion for projects that "promote broadband education, awareness, training… and support," and 360 applications requested $1.9 billion in grants for public computer centers.

Saying that both NTIA and RUS are overwhelmed by the number of applications received - which requested almost 'seven times' the amount of funding available for broadband projects, Jonathan Adelstein - RUS administrator and former Commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission - remarked: "The overwhelming response we received underscores the extensive interest in expanding broadband across the country. Rural communities clearly recognize that broadband can expand their economic opportunities and create jobs."