Was broadband stimulus really delayed? Perception may matter most

May 29, 2009

A recent report from the National Telecommunications Information Administration (NTIA), which triggered speculation that the federal broadband stimulus program has been delayed, is open to interpretation. But whether the schedule provided by the NTIA this month represents a delay or simply a clarification, it could drive service providers that hoped to obtain funds to push out their deployment plans even further than might be expected.

When the stimulus program kicked off with a public meeting in March, Bernadette McGuire-Rivera of the NTIA said, “We are expecting to have the first notice of availability of funds out somewhere in the April to June period of this year.” She also pointed to two additional grant rounds, one with a time frame of October to December of 2009 and the other with a time frame of “around April or June of 2010.” Did she mean the notice of funds for each round would come out during those time intervals or that proposals would be accepted at those times or that money would be awarded at those times? It’s unclear...