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More than $300 million cut from federal broadband grants

The new legislation that President Obama signed this week to stave jobs losses among teachers will cut $302 million in federal broadband grants to help pay for the measure, reports the Washington Post. The Education Jobs Fund will send $10 billion to budget-constrained states so they can avoid layoffs of educators. The broadband cuts come from the National Telecommunications & Technology Administration’s $4.7 billion budget for broadband stimulus grants. The Obama Administration allocated $7.2 billion to the NTIA and Department of Agriculture to grant money to projects that bring broadband connections to rural areas. So far, the NTIA has awarded $1.6 billion and will give out its remaining funds within six weeks. The stimulus funds, meant to spark economic growth immediately and longer term, are among government efforts to bring affordable broadband to all Americans. A Pew Center report released Aug. 11 showed half of Americans are skeptical of such programs as a government priority, with another 40 percent saying the effort is important…

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