[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 148 (Wednesday, October 5, 2011)]
[House]
[Pages H6572-H6573]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1250

  I obviously support this bill, this so-called stimulus package. We 
hear this all the time: We are going to have a stimulus package. It 
said to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, 
which is NTIA. They said, You have the responsibility for overseeing 
almost $5 billion of broadband technology opportunities, giving out 
this money. They tasked the Rural Utilities Service with overseeing 
about $2.5 billion of broadband initiative. Altogether, that's a whole 
lot of money, and all the awards were made by September 30, 2010.
  But my colleagues, the nationwide broadband map was not launched 
until February 17, 2011. Think of that. They gave out all this money, 
but they didn't even have the map in place until October, November, 
December, January, almost 5 months later. It seems to

[[Page H6573]]

me they shouldn't have done anything until they at least mapped this 
out so they knew the proper places to put this stimulus money.
  Many of us in Congress, including the chairman, warned of the danger 
of spending the money before mapping was done and that allocating funds 
before maps of unserved areas were in place almost guaranteed that the 
money wouldn't be used effectively. Some cable and phone companies 
believe awards had been issued for projects that substantially 
duplicate--duplicate--their existing service areas. Remember, this is 
stimulus money.
  Any time that much taxpayer money is given away so quickly and 
subject to political pressure, vigilant oversight is required.
  H.R. 1343 clarifies the obligations of the agencies and keeps 
Congress informed to ensure taxpayers' interests are protected when 
problem awards are identified. Otherwise, as was the case, as the 
chairman mentioned with Solyndra, red flags are ignored, cash is rushed 
out the door, and Congress is told all along that everything is fine.
  Today's bill clarifies the responsibility of the NTIA and the RUS 
going forward to terminate failed or failing grants and loans and to 
return to the U.S. Treasury any rescinded or relinquished funds. That's 
good.
  This is a responsible and necessary bill, and I urge my colleagues to 
support it.
  Mrs. CAPPS. Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to vote for H.R. 
1343, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I want to thank my colleague from Florida who has made some terrific 
comments regarding this legislation about the importance of oversight. 
I know my colleague from New Hampshire (Mr. Bass) has been very keenly 
involved in the oversight efforts as well.
  Let me just say, as chair of the Communications and Technology 
Subcommittee, that we will be doing oversight on how this program is 
working. We hear some reports that there have been problems getting 
access to fiber because of the earthquake in Japan that may have slowed 
build out. We understand that some of the smaller companies may have 
run into all kinds of problems working their way through rights-of-way 
issues that have delayed the build out of getting this broadband build 
out into many of our communities, especially those who don't have 
broadband today.
  So I think it's incumbent upon us, and I won't presume to speak for 
the minority, but I assume they would agree as well, we need to keep an 
eye on this just to see how is it working and what impediments are we 
running into, and are we going to see this broadband actually get built 
out as it was envisioned. The grants have been issued. The money is 
obligated, hasn't been spent.
  So it looks to me like we have two tasks here. One is to make sure we 
get what we're paying for as the American taxpayer, and the money that 
isn't going to get spent comes back or, if there's any kind of fraud 
developed, all that money we can recover will come back and that there 
is a very surefire method, without question, that it comes back to the 
Treasury; and that, also, to take a look at what are the impediments to 
building out. I know we run into it where I am at, that we do have 
problems sometimes getting these permits, getting through the various 
regulations that really impede our opportunity.
  I would encourage Members on both sides of the House to approve this 
legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Walden) that the House suspend the rules and 
pass the bill, H.R. 1343, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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