Evaluating BTOP - A Step in the Right Direction

[Commentary] On Thursday, July 30th, the federal government indicated it's in the market for a rigorous examination of its investment in broadband. A Request for Quote was issued for an evaluation study of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration's (NTIA) Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP). Benton and our allies in academia and the public interest sector have been encouraging the NTIA and other agencies to evaluate our investment in broadband networks for some time now. Understanding what works and having the courage to invest in it is, I believe, very much at the heart of the American entrepreneurial free enterprise system. I also believe that all the sectors...government, business, and non-for-profit...must work together with each making its unique contribution toward the common good. If we are to make decisions rationally based on facts/evidence and fair arguments, then research is the key methodological tool to understand and create new realities on the ground.