April 15, 2009 By Andy Opsahl
For economic stimulus money to reach the most deserving broadband projects put forth by local governments, the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) thinks states should vet applicants instead of federal agencies.
The association sent a letter advocating that view to the Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and the Department of Agriculture's Rural Utilities Service (RUS), both of which will distribute the $7.2 billion set aside from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) for broadband infrastructure.
NARUC insists both the NTIA and RUS are too bogged down by prior commitments to judge thousands of broadband stimulus applications within the 18 months remaining before the money must be spent.
"Neither [agency] can possibly complete the tasks assigned under the ARRA without a very significant staff expansion," the letter asserted.
The association recommends asking governors to form groups that are familiar with their states' own broadband landscapes to judge local government applications using NTIA and RUS awarding criteria.
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