Internet companies vying for stimulus

Wireless and Internet service companies are looking to cash in as lawmakers hash out a $900 billion stimulus plan aimed at jump-starting the souring economy. Nearly $10 billion in federal grants and loans and $100 million in tax credits could be spent extending high-speed Internet access to rural areas and poor neighborhoods, a goal outlined by President Barack Obama during his campaign. Public interest groups say it is laudable the government is trying to help the poor while creating jobs but that a poorly implemented program could smack of corporate welfare. "Even though we support tax credits, we don't want them to 'incentivize' investments that would have taken place otherwise," said Derek Turner, research director at the public interest group Free Press. "We won't be creating new jobs and we'll just be paying for current investment." In determining which companies benefit most from the stimulus incentives, much will depend on interpretations of words like "open access," "underserved" and "unserved." The language in the stimulus bill is vague in some cases and fails to define key terms.