NTIA is exerting close oversight of its broadband stimulus grantees,...
NTIA is exerting close oversight of its broadband stimulus grantees, Administrator Larry Strickling said in a blog post Friday (http://1.usa.gov/YiBMAD). He described the many ways NTIA monitors the more than 200 Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) grantees throughout the states,…
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from site visits to reviewing quarterly reports. Potential action from NTIA has included technical assistance, performance improvement plans, corrective action plans and award suspensions or termination, Strickling explained. NTIA’s oversight allowed what Strickling called “proactive intervention": “In many cases, NTIA’s oversight and technical assistance have successfully enabled projects to get back on track after suffering initial obstacles,” he said. “Over the past two years, four grant recipients totaling approximately $229 million were put on suspension and then restarted after the grantee addressed our concerns.” NTIA has suspended three projects now for “performance-related issues, representing $158.9 million,” and is “hopeful” to restart them, according to the post. “In its three years of operation, NTIA has terminated only two BTOP projects for failing to live up to the terms of their grant,” he added. “Those projects spent $11 million, representing about .3 percent of all BTOP funds awarded. Separately, four projects voluntarily terminated their awards in the very early stages, spending less than $50,000.” Strickling’s blog post comes weeks after the Commerce Department Office of the Inspector General notified NTIA it’s beginning an audit of BTOP grant closeout procedures (CD Feb 15 p7) and less than a week before a House Subcommittee on Communications and Technology hearing on broadband stimulus grant oversight (CD Feb 22 p14).