Trade Groups Urge Senate to Fully Fund Broadband

WASHINGTON July 15, 2010- The National Association of Telecommunications and Advisors (NATOA) and the National Association of Counties have sent a letter to Senators Reid, Durbin, Inouye, Rockefeller and Kerry urging them to prevent the House from rescinding broadband funding.

Recently there have been two separate bills in the house to shift $300 million in funds from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration and the Rural Utilities Service to be used for other purposes.

The letter states in part: “Job creation was one of the central purposes of the ARRA and the BTOP and BIP programs in particular. Budget cuts should be targeted at wasteful spending and unnecessary programs – they should leave alone programs that are intended to (and do) create jobs in a time when unemployment is such a significant issue for our country. Please reinstate the full funding for these critically important programs”