Jockeying begins ahead of NTIA broadband gold rush

With the closure of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA)’s public feedback period on how best to allocate an upcoming $48 billion in broadband infrastructure grants, here are some key comments Politico noticed:

• Public Knowledge urged the NTIA to prioritize funds for networks run by local governments and cooperatives (as well as those adhering to Obama-era net neutrality principles).
• Local government association NATOA proposed using grant conditions to sidestep state restrictions on municipal broadband.
• Trade groups Incompas and NTCA separately argued that NTIA shouldn’t resurrect the White House’s original preference for nonprofits, cooperatives and municipal governments in awarding broadband buildout money.
• Common Cause wanted NTIA to require minimum network speeds of 100 Megabits per second for both upload and download. The law only calls for 100 Mbps download and 20 Mbps upload speeds.
• Several comments underscored the need for more accurate broadband mapping (FCC is on the hook here, timing TBD). One wireless trade group cautioned NTIA not to let “lax processes” undermine an “unprecedented” opportunity.