A Businessweek article published today explores the ways that the current federal broadband grant program’s rules exclude urban areas. “Broadband Stimulus and the Underserved” explains that, “as written, the rules governing the grants are stacked against cities like San Francisco, even though urban areas are among the places least reached by broadband and most in need of efforts like the one under way.”

The article also quotes Joanne Hovis, president of CTC Technology & Energy and a member of the board of directors of the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors (NATOA). “’It’s hard to see how any urban area can qualify for a grant, and that is unfortunate because the most serious needs for broadband access are in urban areas,’ Hovis says. ‘Some neighborhoods may indeed be served by commercial operators, but that doesn’t mean the service is affordable.’”