U.S. government servers need to be replaced with new ones

Aug. 15, 2009

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The deadline for the U.S. Government Stimulus Funds Program has been extended until Aug. 20th, simply because government servers were having difficulty keeping up with the large number of potential new applications for the program.

You've heard of the "Cash for Clunkers" program. Now maybe the government should implement a similar program for its aging and outdated servers...

Overall, potential applicants still need to get the process started, so it doesn’t appear as though they really get extra time to fine-tune their applications. No changes were made in filing for paper applications.

The government's server infrastructure simply needs some major upgrades to handle the huge volume of applications and general enquiries. The Obama Administration plans to distribute a total of $7.2 billion in grant funds.

Broadband business strategist Craig Settles, founder of Successful.com, says the inner workings of the various agencies that the new administration inherited need to be “forcefully awakened” to the fact that many of the programs President Obama is introducing are going to be wildly popular.

“The government's server platform needs rapid upgrading to handle these new surges of increased demand from the public for information, to execute applications, to file them electronically, etc.etc.” added Settles.

“If the overall number of applications is that huge, we may end up seeing very small projects that will not have any significant impact on a community but only a neighborhood. In other words, the thinking may be that smaller projects stand a better chance of getting money than bigger projects. If the broadband problem has been underestimated, then the $7.2 billion available through the grant process may not be enough,” said Settles.

For now, it appears that the new deadline is the only way for the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to deal with the flood of new applications.

This could mean they simply underestimated the severity of the broadband problem, or they’re getting applications that don’t make a whole lot of sense.

After all, the program is run by bureaucrats and government employees that don't have any training or knowledge on how modern technology works.

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Source: GSV.

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