Broadband stimulus: Is it really free money?

Perhaps the most unappetizing aspect of broadband stimulus money as far as the Bells are concerned is not its potential Network Neutrality requirements, as some have suggested, but the much more basic mission of bringing residential broadband to very rural areas, which the Bells have repeatedly demonstrated is not a particular prize for them. True, rural broadband is more appealing when it comes with "free money," but much of telecom carriers' costs are operational and persistent long after infrastructure builds are complete. Even where government loans are available, delivering broadband to 'unserved areas' is not an attractive proposition to many companies. That may be why so many of those chasing broadband stimulus funds are not profit-seeking entities. Maybe there really is no such thing as free money.