American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act) was signed into law by President Obama on February 17th, 2009. The Administration has stated that the Act "is an unprecedented effort to jumpstart our economy, create or save millions of jobs, and put a down payment on addressing long-neglected challenges so our country can thrive in the 21st century. The Act is an extraordinary response to a crisis unlike any since the Great Depression, and includes measures to modernize our nation's infrastructure, enhance energy independence, expand educational opportunities, preserve and improve affordable health care, provide tax relief, and protect those in greatest need." Implementing the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 The FCC worked in coordination with the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to perform the FCC's role under the Recovery Act. In conjunction with the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program established by the Act, the FCC worked in coordination with the NTIA to create the National Broadband Plan, to ensure all people of the United States have access to broadband capability and establish benchmarks for meeting that goal. The Plan was released on March 17, 2010. The National Broadband Map was created by the NTIA, in collaboration with the FCC, and in partnership with 50 states, five territories and the District of Columbia. The National Broadband Map, a project of NTIA's State Broadband Initiative, was published on February 17, 2011 and will be updated approximately every six months. Also as part of its Recovery Act responsibilities, the FCC performed extensive outreach, hosted a call center, and provided individual assistance during the Digital Television transition, which occurred on June 12, 2009.