Building on our op-ed about the influx of infrastructure bill money giving rise to numerous opportunities for government contracting fraud in the construction sector, the public comment period on the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA)’s request for comment on broadband grant programs just ended earlier this month. The Department of Justice also needs whistleblowers with knowledge of infrastructure misspending to step up.
As a major part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal (Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act) of 2021, $65 billion will be allocated to projects that increase access to reliable high-speed internet throughout the country. Of that $65 billion, $42.45 billion funds a program called Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD), which provides grants to states with the intention of connecting underserved areas. The NTIA has 180 days to establish this program and decide how to administer grants. Every state is slated to receive $100 million from BEAD initially. Then, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has been charged to create broadband DATA maps denoting where broadband service is and is not available. Further funding is available to states based on a formula outlined in the Act, which utilizes information from the maps regarding the number of unserved locations in high-cost areas divided by the total number of unserved locations in high-cost areas nationwide.
During the public comment period, the NTIA solicited...
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