Mass. Official Calls For Broadband Stimulus
Congress and President-elect Barack Obama's administration should include broadband-related investment in forthcoming legislation designed to promote economic stimulus, and the federal government needs to begin with better data about broadband availability, Massachusetts Secretary of Housing and Economic Development Daniel O'Connell urged the chairs of Obama's transition team in a letter last week. In particular, Congress should supplement the Broadband Data Improvement Act, which passed last October without appropriated or authorized funding levels. An earlier version had included $40 million for the Commerce Department to allocate to state-led initiatives.
O'Connell also urged flexibility in the way that states structure their individual broadband programs, extending stimulus funds to spur broadband demand among the poor, and recognizing that some forms of communication, like satellite service, are inferior methods of delivering broadband, according to BroadbandCensus.com. His letter included a five-page memo on the role of broadband investment in the economic recovery and laid out approaches states are taking with regard to broadband infrastructure. Read the story here.
Join the Discussion
The National Journal Group has the right (but not the obligation) to monitor the comments and to remove any materials it deems inappropriate.
Comments powered by Disqus