White House officials play key role in shaping broadband stimulus program

The White House is playing a critical behind-the-scenes role in shaping a $7.2 billion loan-and-grant program aimed at spurring wider broadband Internet access, despite a congressional mandate that put the Agriculture and Commerce departments in charge of the economic stimulus effort.

With high-stakes decisions to be made affecting consumers and corporations, and vacancies at both departments and the FCC, which has an advisory role, the White House has stepped in to oversee the initiative, according to several sources.

"We're helping to coordinate between agencies," said a White House official, who acknowledged after repeated questioning that the Obama administration is providing guidance on policy matters, such as which regulatory strings should be attached to the funding. The official, like others at the White House who were asked to comment, was reluctant to talk out of concern about being cast as usurping the role of agencies assigned to run the broadband program.

"I welcome that kind of role," acting FCC Chairman Michael Copps said of White House involvement when asked briefly about it at a budget hearing Wednesday. Copps is short-staffed at the five-member commission, which has two vacancies.

The Agriculture and Commerce departments have been the public face of the broadband initiative, gathering more than 1,600 comments and holding seven public forums in their effort to determine which regions of the country should receive the most assistance and how general conditions set by Congress should be defined.

But Susan Crawford, special assistant to the president for science, technology and innovation policy and a member of President Obama's National Economic Council, is coordinating much of the effort. She has been heavily involved with crafting the broadband provisions of the economic stimulus package since February, Commerce Department records show.

Crawford, who did not respond to interview requests, is seeking to ensure that both departments work constructively and move in lockstep, sources said. In the past, the departments have taken divergent approaches to assisting the telecom sector, with Agriculture favoring industry players and Commerce favoring nonprofit groups.

Two officials at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy -- Deputy Policy Director Tom Kalil and Chief of Staff Jim Kohlenberger -- also have been influential in developing the broadband stimulus program, which hopes to spur deployment of high-speed connectivity to areas with limited or no service.

All three are helping fill the void left by vacancies at the helm of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration, Agriculture's Rural Utilities Service and the FCC.

Obama has nominated Larry Strickling, a former FCC official who worked on his presidential campaign, to head NTIA; FCC member Jonathan Adelstein to run the utilities service; and Julius Genachowski, his top technology adviser, to chair the FCC. All are awaiting confirmation hearings.

In March, Obama appointed the nation's first chief information officer, Vivek Kundra.

The White House officials also appear to be filling in for Aneesh Chopra, Virginia's secretary of technology who was chosen this month to become the nation's first chief technology officer.

"It may be the case that when those people come on board, the White House steps back a little bit," observed Gigi Sohn, president of the consumer advocacy group Public Knowledge.

Crawford's involvement might hint at a broader development: the growing influence on technology policy by a president who is an outspoken advocate for broadband access and network neutrality and a proficient user of a BlackBerry and other hi-tech gadgets.

"This is a president who deeply understands technology," Crawford, who worked on FCC-related matters for Obama's transition team, told the Congressional Internet Caucus last week. "This is the first president with a computer on his desk."

"With all of the senior tech posts, there is certainly the potential for overlap and perhaps even conflict," observed Paul Gallant, a telecom analyst with the Washington Research Group. He added that the White House appointments do suggest "the president cares deeply about technology policy."

"I don't find it surprising that the White House is involved in particular policy areas that the president and his staff care about," said Kevin Werbach, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School who worked with Crawford on the transition team.

"They're certainly playing a significant role, but I don't think they're pulling anybody's strings," echoed Sohn, who has close ties to the administration. "I see it as absolutely necessary and long overdue."