Broadband stimulus seen as haphazard

WASHINGTON, April 8 (UPI) -- The federal stimulus-aided U.S. rollout of broadband Internet service is happening too quickly and without sufficient planning, critics say.

With private telecommunications companies claiming the $7.2 billion set aside in the $787 billion stimulus bill, the FCC is only now embarking on a yearlong plan to provide broadband Internet access to every home in the United States, leading to worries that its rollout will happen haphazardly, The Washington Post reported Wednesday.

"This is a huge deal," acting FCC Chairman Michael Copps told the Post. "Broadband is the central infrastructure challenge of the early 21st century. If done right, it will be the most formative proceeding in the FCC's history."

The stimulus money is being dispersed by the FCC, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which aren't working together off an overarching plan, the newspaper said.

The cable trade group National Cable & Telecommunications Association says that because the FCC is working on its guidelines for grant applications, the initial rounds of broadband funding may be smaller than needed and could go to areas where there's no existing Internet service.