GAO Recommends NTIA Give 'Constructive Feedback' to Tribal Broadband Grant Recipients

GAO recommended NTIA provide "constructive feedback" to tribal broadband connectivity program applicants that received equitable distribution grants of up to $500,000 instead of the amounts they requested. In a report Thursday, it also recommended providing "another form of assistance" in the program's second round (see 2307270046). NTIA agreed with GAO about the "importance of providing constructive feedback" and said it did so for all 45 applicants that did not receive an award because they "did not pass merit review or successfully complete programmatic review" as required by the first notice of funding opportunity. The agency will "again conduct targeted outreach and host technical assistance webinars" as part of its second NOFO.