Strickling and Chopra Unanimously Approved by Senate Commerce Committee

On Wednesday, the Senate Commerce Committee unanimously approved the nominations of Larry Strickling to lead the National Telecommunications and Information Administration and Aneesh Chopra to be the government's first chief technology officer. Their nominations move to the full Senate now. In a written response to questions raised by Sen Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX), Strickling said the NTIA should develop metrics "to accurately and demonstrably" show whether the $7.2 billion in broadband funds contained in the economic stimulus package are being used appropriately and whether the program is achieving the goals established under the statute. "There are a number of outcomes that could be used to show that unserved communities benefit from this program, including households passed with broadband service, speed of Internet service, jobs created, affordability of broadband offerings, and adoption of broadband service," Strickling wrote, noting NTIA will require grant recipients to regularly report their progress. In addition to transferring $10 million to the inspector general for oversight, NTIA has pursued transparency through public meetings and by soliciting public comment, he said. If confirmed, Strickling said he would ensure a "robust program of inspection and audits" is implemented and as the program expands, will provide information about applicants and recipients as well as quarterly reports.