Broadband stimulus meeting leaves questions unanswered
March 10, 2009
The three federal agencies charged with overseeing the deployment of $7.2 billion in broadband stimulus grants held their first joint public meeting on Tuesday. A crowd of several hundred people attended the meeting in Washington, D.C., where acting Federal Communications Commission Chairman Michael Copps took comments and questions.
Most who got to speak at the meeting asked questions about how the new broadband deployment programs should work, to which federal officials had little more to say than "we're not sure yet," or "we're seeking your input," according to a report from IDG News Service.
Officials with the agencies in charge of spending the grant money to reach underserved communities said details of the program, including a definition for "underserved," had yet to be worked out, IDG reported.
Although people may have been left scratching their heads about the unscripted plan for deployment of broadband, the independent group Free Press, which advocates broad internet access and net neutrality, said the spirit of public input is a good start to developing a program.
"These agencies are asking the right questions and the public will see the biggest bang for the buck once they determine the best path for delivering a high-quality network to the largest number of areas at affordable rates," said S. Derek Turner, research director of Free Press.
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