Republicans fault broadband stimulus program

Congressional criticism of the beleaguered $7.2 billion broadband stimulus program, already under fire from prominent Democrats, is expected to grow today when two influential Republicans fire off a four-page letter to the Agriculture and Commerce departments outlining several concerns.

House Energy and Commerce ranking member Joe Barton and Rep. Cliff Stearns of Florida, the top Republican on the panel's Communications Subcommittee, want funds prioritized for states that have finished mapping the availability of broadband service, according to the letter they plan to send later today.

They express concern that funds could go to projects that are not sustainable or inconsistent with the program's goals and that both agencies lack the resources to monitor the funding.

The letter is directed to Larry Strickling, head of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration, and Jonathan Adelstein, administrator of Agriculture's Rural Utilities Service. Both agencies are administering the program of grants and loans.

The financial aid, required by this year's economic stimulus package, is supposed to help expand broadband deployment to unserved and underserved regions in advance of a more comprehensive broadband plan, which the FCC must present to Congress by Feb. 17. But critics contend that complex rules, unnecessary bureaucracy and a heavier-than-expected volume of applications have contributed to delays in awards being announced.

The lawmakers also criticize the criteria that both departments plan to use to track the progress of awardees and to determine whether projects are complete.

The emphasis is "on receiving and using funds as quickly as possible rather than on using funds efficiently and appropriately," they write. In addition, recipients are permitted to set their own milestones, which may not match the performance goals of the economic recovery act, they say.