Northern Nevada groups land stimulus funds for Internet projects
Two big federal grants will make the Internet a bit zippier for some Nevadans.
The Nevada Hospital Association and the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe, both in Northern Nevada, landed millions of dollars in stimulus funds, Vice President Joe Biden announced Wednesday.
The Nevada Hospital Association, a trade group based in Carson City, will use its $19.6 million award to build and operate a statewide telemedicine network for 37 medical providers, while the Paiute Tribe will deploy its $7.1 million in funds for the construction of 24 miles of fiberoptic line to link residents of its three communities to high-speed Internet.
Both groups said they'll make the networks they build available to public safety agencies.
The grants are among 94 awards totaling $1.8 billion in 37 states, and are part of a Department of Commerce program designed to expand broadband Internet access and adoption nationwide.
"Today's investment in broadband technology will create jobs across the country and expand opportunities for millions of Americans and American companies," Biden said in a statement. "In addition to bringing 21st Century infrastructure to underserved communities and rural areas, these investments will begin to harness the power of broadband to improve education, health care and public safety."
Bill Welch, president and chief executive officer of the Nevada Hospital Association, called the funding a major boost for health care in the Silver State.
"This is a tremendous opportunity to advance health care quality and service for Nevadans throughout the state and is the first step toward a statewide health information exchange, which will provide improved patient care through instant exchange of medical information, remote diagnosis and treatments," Welch said.
The association plans to provide Nevada's health care providers access to electronic health records by 2016, and to eliminate disparities in technology among urban, rural and tribal communities.
The network will cost $25 million; private money will provide the balance of funding. The Department of Commerce estimated that 56,000 people and 1,700 businesses could benefit from the investment. The hospital association said the project will create more than 100 jobs.
For the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe, the stimulus money could mean improved Internet access for at least 550 households and 1,500 people, said Tribal Chairman Mervin Wright. Broadband service in the tribal area would let residents access distance learning, telemedicine and enhanced public safety services, Wright added. The line would run from Wadsworth to Sutcliffe, with upgrades in Sutcliffe that could eventually allow links to Washoe County or the city of Sparks.
"This will increase our capability for economic development and communication," Wright said. "The reservation, with the remoteness of our region, certainly is deserving of increased communication for law enforcement and emergency response."
The biggest grant in the program went to the University of Arkansas System, which received $102.1 million to improve existing community Internet networks. Utopian Wireless Corp. took the smallest award, a $264,362 grant to bring wireless-telecommunications infrastructure to rural Bushnell, Ill.
Contact reporter Jennifer Robison at jrobison
@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4512.
