Audit Found BTOP Recipients Had $3.5M in Excess Equipment
More than half of Broadband Technology Opportunity Program (BTOP) recipients the Commerce Department Office of the Inspector General reviewed in a recent audit had excess equipment, totaling $3.5 million, including equipment outside the needs of completing grant projects, said a…
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Communications Daily is required reading for senior executives at top telecom corporations, law firms, lobbying organizations, associations and government agencies (including the FCC). Join them today!
recent memo to NTIA. NTIA’s processes for identifying and disposing of BTOP-funded excess inventory were inadequate for effective management of these awards, the memo said. The audit also found about $600,000 worth of equipment that may have been improperly disposed. The IG also noted that expired projects weren't closed out in a timely manner. In response to the problems the audit discovered, additional controls have been implemented, including an additional review of a cross section of recipients for “last minute” purchases as part of their award closeout process; updating supplementary guidance for recipients; requiring all recipients to develop a deployment plan for undeployed equipment; and conducting offsite training for its program officers.