Audit Found BTOP Recipients Had $3.5M in Excess Equipment
More than half of Broadband Technology Opportunity Program (BTOP) recipients the Commerce Department Office of the Inspector General reviewed in a recent audit had excess equipment, totaling $3.5 million, including equipment outside the needs of completing grant projects, said a…
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recent memo to NTIA. NTIA’s processes for identifying and disposing of BTOP-funded excess inventory were inadequate for effective management of these awards, the memo said. The audit also found about $600,000 worth of equipment that may have been improperly disposed. The IG also noted that expired projects weren't closed out in a timely manner. In response to the problems the audit discovered, additional controls have been implemented, including an additional review of a cross section of recipients for “last minute” purchases as part of their award closeout process; updating supplementary guidance for recipients; requiring all recipients to develop a deployment plan for undeployed equipment; and conducting offsite training for its program officers.