RUS Extends Broadband Stimulus Project Deadlines

Organizations that won broadband stimulus awards from the Rural Utilities Service could have more time to complete their projects as the result of a new extension offered by the RUS. The agency hopes the extension will drive stimulus winners that have not yet returned funding paperwork to do so, thereby increasing the flow of stimulus dollars to the winners.

That goal is taking on increased urgency, said Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Kathleen Merrigan. “We have a chunk of money that has been obligated but not yet outlaid,” said Merrigan. Any time that situation occurs, she said, “I get nervous [because] laws can be changed at any moment and we might have to pivot.” Merrigan said she has been called on the carpet at the White House and the Secretary of Agriculture’s office to answer questions about the broadband stimulus program status. Referencing a “whirlwind of budget pain in Washington,” Merrigan said, “the struggle for money has never been fiercer.” The House of Representatives has passed a bill that would return unclaimed stimulus funds to the treasury and while Merrigan said that bill would not be harmful, she said “the tone around the debate is raising red flags.”