CBO: The full $6B earmarked for broadband might not be spent until 2016

A big chunk of the billions of dollars earmarked in economic recovery bills for broadband grants for wireless and other service providers likely will not make it into the private sector anytime soon, raising questions about the intended stimulus effect. The Congressional Budget Office says that because the new appropriations would far exceed the National Telecommunications and Information Administration's 2009 funding of $17 million and require grant recipients provide 20% of the project's cost from non-federal sources, it could take as long as seven years to spend the broadband funds. In its review of House-passed stimulus legislation, the CBO projected that much of the $6 billion in broadband grants geared to underserved and unserved areas will be spent between 2012 and 2016.