Were broadband stimulus wireless awards just tokenism?

The WiMAX Forum put a positive spin on its recent announcement noting that 40 companies won funding for WiMAX projects from the Rural Utilities Service in the second round of the broadband stimulus program.

The decision-making process for all broadband stimulus awards was completed late last month. "WiMAX is the ideal technology to help bring broadband to those who currently can't get access while keeping service and device costs low," said WiMAX Forum President Ron Resnick in the announcement. But despite the WiMAX Forum's cheeriness, wireless projects did not fare as well in the broadband stimulus program as landline projects. The vast majority of the 320 broadband stimulus awards that the RUS made in two funding rounds went for last mile projects -- and the largest share of those awards went to landline projects, typically based on fiber.

The RUS may have favored fiber-based projects because it believed they would be more future-proof, supporting the highest speeds in the long run. But the agency may have been reluctant to shut out wireless applicants totally. Perhaps the granting of a handful of awards for broadband wireless just tokenism -- enabling the agency to say it made awards for all different types of technology.