WASHINGTON-A Clinton administration telecom grant program under attack by key House Republicans has changed its name and recommitted itself to helping minorities, rural communities and other underserved entities.
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration, a Commerce Department unit that advises the president on telecom policy, has renamed the Telecommunications and Information Infrastructure Assistance Program the Technology Opportunities Program.
“We’ve got to bridge the gap” between information technology haves and have-nots, NTIA head Gregory Rohde said at a news briefing last Wednesday. The Clinton administration has tagged the lack of high-tech access in minority, rural and low income communities the “digital divide.”
The digital divide has presented the wireless industry the opportunity to use wireless technology for everything from basic telephone service in rural areas to wireless Internet access in aging inner-city schools. But obstacles, like universal service carrier eligibility, have slowed progress for wireless firms.
TOP has $13 million available this year for matching grants, with a $600,000 cap for any given local grant. TOP began accepting applications on Jan. 5. The deadline for TOP applications is March 16.
“We don’t have the best ideas. We’re really looking for creative local ideas,” said Rohde.
