Stimulus ties spending on broadband to civic participation - Nextgov

A Federal Communications Commission initiative to create a nationwide plan for expanding high-speed Internet access also is expanding e-government, FCC officials said.

The $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act set a February 2010 deadline to create a plan that would provide high-speed Internet access to all Americans. By law, the plan must include using broadband to increase civic participation in policymaking, also known as e-government. A cornerstone of the Obama administration's transparency agenda, announced the day the president took office, has been to increase public participation in government through the Web...