Is the cost to map broadband access off the charts?

The national stimulus package passed by Congress in February may have been too enthusiastic about spending money on one particular project: figuring out where broadband Internet access is available and how fast it is. The $787-billion stimulus bill set aside as much as $350 million to create a national broadband map that could guide policies aimed at expanding high-speed Internet access. That $350-million price tag struck some people in the telecommunications industry as excessive, compared with existing, smaller efforts. The map won't even be done in time to help decide where to spend much of the $7.2 billion in stimulus money earmarked for broadband. Now it appears the final cost won't be as high as $350 million but the total is unclear. To ensure the mapping money is used "in a fiscally prudent manner," the National Telecommunications and Information Administration signaled last week that it would spend more than $100 million and then reassess the program. The agency, which is part of the Commerce Department, said it had received requests for $107 million in funding for projects that would map broadband in individual states over the first two years.