Partnerships with Nonprofits Key to Seeking Broadband Grants, Says Former NTIA Head
Judging from past NTIA broadband grant programs, the vast majority of the broadband stimulus money will go to public and non-profit applicants, said former NTIA head Larry Irving during a webinar on Wednesday. Private companies have been most successful in receiving grants in the past by pairing up with local and state governments, he said. By forging public/private partnerships, for-profit companies can more easily demonstrate “public interest,” which is required of companies hoping to cash in on the $4.7 billion in NTIA stimulus funds, he said.
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Meanwhile, NTIA hopes to achieve a “structured flexibility” by clearly outlining its objectives but allowing a large number of unique ideas to be tried as it decides which projects deserve federal funding, said Irving, who ran the predecessor to the new broadband stimulus program and is now a consultant. Some of the money should go toward “stretch grants,” ideas “that may not be obvious but if they work will have a huge impact.” Such ideas can be replicated quickly in other parts of the country, he said.
Irving doesn’t expect to see brand new regulations on net neutrality and interoperability when the NTIA releases its funding rules, he said. Instead, he expects “something along the line of existing regulatory models,” which could be easily attached to the funding rules and facilitate the grant process. The agency is expected to begin the first of three phases of funding by May. Meeting that time frame would likely be difficult if NTIA had to develop new rules on the widely debated issues, he said.
The agency will also be making sure the applicants “can make things happen and not just make a grant happen,” he said.
During a Tuesday webinar, Ron Westfall, research director at Current Analysis, said the first round of broadband stimulus disbursements may not entail open access requirements. NTIA and RUS may wait to see how the first round of funding goes before deciding whether and how to attach open network requirements, he said.