NATOA Leads Over 130 Others in Filing Comments with NTIA & RUS on Broadband Grant Program
April 10, 2009 2:55 PM
NATOA lead 130 communities and organizations in filing comprehensive comments in response to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s Request for Information on how to implement the broadband grant program created by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The comments address how NTIA can best go about following the intent of Congress under Section 6001 of the Act. In the comments, NATOA and its fellow commenters stress that local governments were explicitly permitted to apply for and receive grant funding from NTIA, and that the numerous public interest provisions contained in the Act should guide NTIA’s implementation of the program. The comments also caution against giving states too great a role in determining what projects are funded with broadband grant dollars, and emphasize the need to create definitions that reflect the reality of competing in a global economy.
The comments, ten key points, executive summary, and appendices are all contained within one PDF file, which you can access by clicking here.