Everyone is talking about getting stimulus money these days. Where there is money to be had, there will be eager hands to take it, and the technology sector is one area that Obama intends to stimulate. The need is for wider access to high-speed broadband. Dealing with the status quo is “holding us back as individuals, it has cost our economy billions, and things are only going to get worse if we don’t do something about it.” That’s Michael Copps, FCC commissioner, speaking in an interview with Business Week last month. But the excitement turned to disappointment as talks lagged and plans bogged down.

But what about now? Amidst the delayed talks, an unclear plan, and no new broadband access, people are wondering if that much-talked-about $7.2 billion is funding anything but talk right now.

Things are moving, however. According to a fresh report from Business Week, several states have stepped up to receive the allocated funding for wider broadband access. Among the states that expect to receive funding are Colorado, Ohio, Tennessee, and Virginia.

Local governments are now getting a say in the game, and that has helped push the issue forward faster. State and municipal authorities have a more accurate perspective of exactly how the broadband stimulus plan could drive economic development in their areas-and they want it, badly. To them, it’s about more than putting broadband access in rural homes and businesses; it’s about creating jobs and reviving businesses.

There is more good news. Now that local governments are involved, the creative juices are flowing as to exactly how the money will be distributed. “We would like to see public-private partnerships to expand the deployment of broadband,” is the wish of Virginia’s Technology Secretary, Aneesh Chopra, who understands that private companies, working responsibly, can help drive the economic development. From the mom-and-pop Internet service provider to the mammoth AT&T, that could be very good news. Putting the task into the lap of a private company means that the money comes with fewer strings attached.

And while this does not hail the end of the recession for tech companies by any means, it is at least a bit of good newswith more to come, perhaps.