"Congress in 2021 tasked the National Telecommunications and Information Administration with administering a $42.45 billion program to make universal broadband available across America. Yet for years, the program didn't connect a single household. When project costs didn't pass the smell test, we demanded answers. Under the Biden administration, officials conditionally approved projects at more than $100,000 per address - numbers impossible to justify to taxpayers."
"How does a $70,000 bid drop to $6,000 with no material changes? Did these locations require federal funding at all? These concerns weren't hypothetical; D.C. has a history of questionable broadband mapping. The Senate Commerce Committee's 2023 Red Light Report found that 58 of 184 supposedly unserved D.C. locations were inside the National Zoo - including Lion-Tiger Hill and the Butterfly Garden."
The NTIA denied Washington, D.C. Broadband Equity, Access, Deployment Program funding after identifying significant problems with the district's proposal. Initial bids averaged $70,000 per location and included ineligible sites such as a shed, nonexistent building, and open field. When the NTIA requested revised bids, costs dropped dramatically to approximately $6,000 per location—a 90% reduction with no material changes. The district already has adequate broadband provider coverage, making federal funding unnecessary for any legitimate gaps. Historical issues with D.C.'s broadband mapping further justified scrutiny, including previous identification of zoo exhibits as unserved locations.
#bead-program-funding #broadband-infrastructure #government-accountability #broadband-mapping-accuracy
Read at Telecompetitor
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