Adelstein, Nominated to Head USDA Broadband Program, Vows to Cut Waste

Jonathan Adelstein, President Barack Obama's nominee to head the Department of Agriculture's Rural Utilities Service, said Tuesday that the USDA "can't afford to waste a dime of taxpayer money" in distributing its $2.5 billion to fund high-speed Internet in sparse areas. One of Adelstein's chief responsibilities as head of RUS will be to run the agency's grant and loan program to fund broadband in rural America. President Obama has made it a top priority to cover the country with high-speed Internet. Those connections will play a critical role in creating efficient technologies such as an energy "smart grid." Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) said USDA probably will never again see this kind of government investment in rural broadband. Chairman Harkin urged Adelstein to work with smaller towns or community organizations that might make mistakes in loan applications. Adelstein shouldn't face difficulties getting confirmed in his new position, but he will take over a loan program rife with critics. In the past, the USDA's Internet funding program has taken years to dole out much smaller amounts of money. The USDA's prior Internet loan program recently came under fire from the USDA Inspector General for giving out loans in areas where private Internet service providers were already present.