The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA, P.L. 111-5 ) provided $7.2 billion primarily for broadband grant programs to be administered by two separate agencies: the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) of the Department of Commerce (DOC) and the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Of the $7.2 billion total, the ARRA provided $4.7 billion to establish a Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) at NTIA, and $2.5 billion for broadband grant, loan, and loan/grant combination programs at RUS. The ARRA also directed the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to develop a national broadband strategy. The unprecedented scale and scope of the ARRA broadband programs, coupled with the short time frame for awarding grants, presents daunting challenges with respect to program implementation as well as Congressional oversight. Total Awards First and Second Round Combined

As of October 1, 2010, all BTOP and BIP award announcements were complete. In total, NTIA and RUS announced awards for 553 projects, constituting $7.5 billion in federal funding. This included 233 BTOP projects (totaling $3.9 billion) and 320 BIP projects (totaling $3.6 billion). Of the $7.5 billion total announced, $6.2 billion was grant funding, and $1.3 billion was loan funding. Grant awards also include funding for state broadband planning. The ARRA addressed broadband data by designating $350 million for funding the Broadband Data Improvement Act ( P.L. 110-385 ) and for the purpose of developing and maintaining a national broadband inventory map. To address this issue, the ARRA: 
required the Secretary of Agriculture to submit a report to the House and Senate Appropriations Committees on planned spending and actual obligations describing the use of ARRA funds ($2.5 billion) for the RUS broadband programs not later than 90 days after enactment, and quarterly thereafter until all funds are obligated; transferred $10 million to the Department of Commerce Office of Inspector General for audits and oversight of funds provided for the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program; directed NTIA to report every 90 days on the status of BTOP to the House and Senate Appropriations Committees, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, and the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation; directed NTIA to require grant recipients to file quarterly reports (which will be publicly available) on the grantee's use of the grant money and progress on fulfilling the objectives for which the funds were granted; authorized NTIA, if it chooses, to establish additional reporting and information requirements for any grant recipient; authorized NTIA, in addition to other authority under applicable law, to deobligate awards to grantees that demonstrate an insufficient level of performance, or wasteful or fraudulent spending, as defined in advance by NTIA, and award these funds competitively to new or existing applicants; and directed NTIA to create and maintain a fully searchable database, accessible on the Internet at no cost to the public, that contains at least a list of each entity that has applied for a grant, a description of each application, the status of each application, the name of each entity receiving funds, the purpose for which the entity is receiving funds, each quarterly report submitted by the entity, and other information sufficient to allow the public to understand and monitor grants awarded under the program. As the 112 th Congress continues to monitor broadband stimulus programs, while considering various additional options for encouraging broadband deployment and adoption, a key issue is how to strike a balance between providing federal assistance for unserved and underserved areas where the private sector may not be providing acceptable levels of broadband service, while at the same time minimizing any deleterious effects that government intervention in the marketplace may have on competition and private sector investment.
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA, P.L. 111-5) provided $7.2 billion primarily for broadband grant programs to be administered by two separate agencies: the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) of the Department of Commerce (DOC) and the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Of the $7.2 billion total, the ARRA provided $4.7 billion to establish a Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) at NTIA, and $2.5 billion as funding for broadband grant, loan, and loan/grant combination programs at RUS. Broadband grants and loans funded by the ARRA are competitive and applicants must apply directly to NTIA and RUS. The NTIA appropriation also included $350 million for a national broadband inventory map, funding for the Broadband Data Improvement Act (P.L. 110-385), and funding to be transferred to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to develop a national broadband plan.
As of October 1, 2010, all BTOP and BIP award announcements were complete. In total, NTIA and RUS announced awards for 553 projects, constituting $7.5 billion in federal funding. This included 233 BTOP projects (totaling $3.9 billion) and 320 BIP projects (totaling $3.6 billion). Of the $7.5 billion total announced, $6.2 billion was grant funding, and $1.3 billion was loan funding. With the awards phase completed, NTIA and RUS now shift their focus to oversight of the funded projects as they move forward. Additionally, the broadband mapping effort, implemented by the State Broadband Data and Development Grant Program, awarded $293 million to 50 states, 5 territories, and the District of Columbia.
The unprecedented scale and scope of the ARRA broadband programs, coupled with the short time frame for awarding grants, presents daunting challenges with respect to program implementation as well as Congressional oversight. The 112th Congress may monitor how equitably and effectively broadband grants are allocated among states and the various stakeholders, and to what extent the programs fulfill the goals of short term job creation and the longer term economic benefits anticipated from improved broadband availability, access, and adoption. A continuing issue is how to strike a balance between providing federal assistance for unserved and underserved areas where the private sector may not be providing acceptable levels of broadband service, while at the same time minimizing any deleterious effects that government intervention in the marketplace may have on competition and private sector investment.