During the presidential campaign, Barack Obama promised to "reform the Telephone Universal Service Program, direct the FCC to better manage the nation's airwaves, and encourage public-private partnership to get more low-income communities connected."

The economic stimulus bill passed in February 2009 tasks the Commerce Department with distributing $4.7 billion in grants to "support the deployment of broadband infrastructure in unserved and underserved areas, to enhance broadband capacity at public computer centers, and to encourage sustainable adoption of broadband service." The program is known as the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program.

The bill also requires the Federal Communications Commission to provide Congress with a report recommending how to address several broadband-related questions, including those mentioned in the promise. The report is due no later than Feb. 17, 2010.

On Dec. 16, 2009, the task force advising the FCC on the report came out with an interim report. This interim report offers several short- and long-term options for the universal service program, which assures that underserved populations have access to telecommunications services. The longer-term options include a "comprehensive overhaul" of the program.

On the promise's second subject -- managing the nation's airwaves, also known as "the spectrum" -- the interim report notes that "demand for wireless broadband service will exceed the supply of spectrum in the not-too-distant future. A large, new spectrum allocation is essential to improving broadband competition."

Finally, on the promise's third subject -- public-private partnerships -- the task force stated that "the limited government funding that is available for broadband would be best used when leveraged with private sector investment."

The $4.7 billion from the stimulus represents a significant investment in expanding broadband access, but the specific items mentioned in the promise will be most directly addressed by the FCC's report. Since that report has not yet been officially released -- and since it will take time for its recommendations to be implemented, if they are accepted -- we're calling this promise In the Works.