Should Broadband Stimulus Requirements Be Loosened?

A debate has erupted over whether or not broadband stimulus requirements should change to satisfy large telecommunications companies that snubbed the first round of funding in August. Many saw their absence as a sign that the broadband stimulus strategy had failed, but roughly $28 billion in applications were submitted to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and Rural Utilities Services (RUS), the two agencies distributing $7.2 billion set aside in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for broadband projects. With volume like that already in place, is it even necessary for large telecommunications companies to participate in the broadband stimulus?

By Andy Opsahl, Features Editor

Full Story: http://www.govtech.com/gt/articles/720835

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Feds give details on 2,200 broadband stimulus requests
San Francisco Business Times

The federal government published a database Wednesday containing details about the nearly 2,200 broadband stimulus applications it received that combined total $28 billion —representing nearly seven times the amount of money available.

by Patrick Hoge

Full Story: http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/stories/2009/09/07/daily54.html