StimCity Broadband--WINS and INS
In my previous post, I recommended a "first things first" approach to distributing grant money--arguing that we can't get where we want to go without a map; a broadband treasure map, to be specific. A map, though, is only part of the journey. Before a map is helpful, we need to take inventory of where we are right now. To this end, yesterday, the FCC released a Notice of Inquiry ("NOI") soliciting public comments and asking questions pertaining to the agency's obligation to develop a National Broadband Plan as required under the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act ("ARRA"). An NOI, though, is not exactly the fastest way to collect information. On the other hand, in all fairness, the NOI approach was the prudent way to go for Acting Chairman Copps, given that the Commission's longer-term leadership has not yet arrived at the Commission. Therefore, since the "first things" (in the "first things first" approach) are unlikely to be completed before the ARRA requires the first of the grant money to be distributed, I figured the NTIA and the RUS might be able to use some unsolicited advice on how to get the initial grants distributed quickly and safely.
I say this because whenever I've seen officials from the agencies charged with administering the $7.2 Billion in broadband-related grants under the ARRA, they just look a little stressed. And who could blame them? The ARRA requires them to distribute an unprecedented amount of money in a short period of time, while maximizing the economic development effect of the broadband funds, meeting other goals (e.g., open networks), and, all the while, protecting the taxpayer funds (and their own reputations) from the 3 Deadly Sins of Waste, Fraud, and Abuse. Piece of cake, right?
Continue reading StimCity Broadband--WINS and INS
