Comm Daily reported Tuesday on a National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors (NATOA) webinar in which CTC President Joanne Hovis discussed what she sees as the ongoing economic benefits created by the Recovery Act broadband funding.

As Ms. Hovis noted, awardees of Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) grants are now entering the final year of their projects, so they will soon be able to take advantage of new fiber optic infrastructure. In the wake of the federally funded projects, she also reports seeing the emergence of new projects funded at the local level.

But according to Ms. Hovis, BTOP communities across the country have already seen significant economic benefits from their projects. “What I saw was the creation of jobs just in the process of planning, partnering, and building projects or expanding existing projects in order to prepare grant applications to compete for BTOP funds,” she said.

Read the full story in Comm Daily here.