The business of Internet, wireless, and telecom law.

Waiving the Recovery Act’s Broadband “Buy America” Provision?

Posted by Barlow Keener

Technorati Tags: FCC,NTIA,Recovery Act,Buy America,Broadband

The Recovery Act included a “Made in America” requirement for all $787 billion of stimulus funding. Section 1605 of the Act provides that in a “public work” all “manufactured goods used in the project” must be “produced in the United States.” A Federal agency is authorized to waive the requirement if [...]

NTIA: Show Us the Money

Posted by Barlow Keener

Technorati Tags: NTIA,ARRA,Recovery Act,National Broadband Plan,Recovery.gov

On May 18, 2009, NTIA submitted the first required quarterly progress
report to Congress on getting the Recovery Act funding out the door. Without a press release or press conference, NTIA “quietly” (a word GigaOm’s Stacey Higginbotham used) explained to Congress that the first tranche of broadband [...]

Should Broadband Fees Fund Broadband Growth?

Posted by Barlow Keener

Technorati Tags: FCC,National Broadband Plan,ARRA
The American Reinvestment and Recovery Act ("ARRA”) appropriated $7.2 billion for various broadband projects.  The primary goals of the ARRA broadband provisions are 1) to increase broadband penetration for the unserved, both rural and urban, 2) to increase broadband adoption for the “underserved,” and 3) to deliver new jobs.   The USDA’s [...]