Gomez Takes Herself Out of Management of NTIA Grant Program
Anna Gomez, the acting NTIA administrator, disqualified herself from directly managing the broadband grant program because of her former job at Sprint, the NTIA confirmed Thursday. Mark Seifert, a former staffer at the FCC and the House Commerce Committee, was hired as the lead on the broadband program. Gomez will concentrate on DTV. The $4.7 billion NTIA broadband program is a part of the economic stimulus law. It’s expected to bring a great deal of additional attention to the agency over the next year.
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Gomez would have done a good job with the grant program, said a lawyer following it closely. “I think she’s going to be very busy on DTV transition,” the official said. “That’s probably a job and a half right there. All of a sudden you're putting two huge burdens on NTIA simultaneously.” Gomez was vice president of regulatory affairs at Sprint Nextel, working on matters other than spectrum, before she was chosen for the NTIA job this month.
The NTIA confirmed that Gomez has taken herself out of “the policy issues raised by the broadband technology opportunity program,” a spokesman said. But the spokesman said he couldn’t confirm Seifert’s appointment. “We are gearing up our staff for the broadband program, and will have more announcements next week,” he said.
The agency is scrambling to get a handle on its new responsibilities with the broadband program. A Federal Register notice with details on the effort is expected Friday. The agency must coordinate with the Rural Utilities Service, the White House and Office of Management and Budget, and get new information up on its Web site. Its site still is promoting President George W. Bush’s broadband initiatives, www.ntia.doc.gov/issues.htm, under a section for broadband under “NTIA Issues.”
The NTIA said in a Federal Register notice that it’s scheduling meetings starting Monday with “all interested parties” interested in the broadband program. Details of every meeting will be in the public record, the NTIA said.