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# Article: Measuring the Effectiveness of the Broadband Stimulus Plan
- URL: https://broadbandbreakfast.com/article-measuring-the-effectiveness-of-the-broadband-stimulus-plan/
- Published: 2009-05-24T01:16:33.000Z
- Updated: 2026-03-11T06:41:37.000Z
- Description: WASHINGTON, May 23, 2009 – Because the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 charges government agencies not only with choosing grant recipients and setting performance bench marks, but also with measuring their results, only a carefully pre-planned evaluation strategy should be deployed to
- Author: Douglas Streeks
- Tags: TPI, NTIA, NTIA Comments, Recovery Act, Broadband Stimulus, double blind auction, economic analysis, Scott Wallsten, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2024-02-01 10:30, #added-preview-divider

WASHINGTON, May 23, 2009 – The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 charges government agencies not only with choosing grant recipients and setting performance bench marks, but also with measuring their results, which only a carefully pre-planned evaluation strategy will enable them to do.

That was the message of a recent paper, “Measuring the Effectiveness of the Broadband Stimulus Plan,” by Scott Wallsten, vice president for research at the Technology Policy Institute. Wallsten played a role in coordinating the “71 Concerned Economists” comment to the Commerce Department’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration. The comment is listed in the [BroadbandCensus.com List of NTIA Comments](http://broadbandcensus.com/2009/04/the-broadbandcensuscom-list-of-ntia-comments?ref=broadbandbreakfast.com).

The broadband stimulus is unique in that it is a one-time strategy that has not yet been implemented and therefore less of a pre-organized constituency with a stake in a pre-determined result, said Wallsten.

The broadband stimulus has two distinct goals: to improve broadband and to create jobs; the former is the primary goal. The “gold standard” in measuring result is randomization, a sort of “double blind” procedure similar to that used to determine the effectiveness of some medicines. However, due to political pressure, the “gold standard” is not plausible; rather, a “silver standard” may be the answer.

Under such a “silver standard,” Wallsten wrote, agencies would track the build-out of both grant recipients and those who have been denied grants; the latter would serve as an imperfect control group. In addition, he said, the NTIA should fund high-ranked projects and continue funding low-ranked projects until its funds have been exhausted and then collect the data for both.