The government will award $4 billion in loans and grants to various telecommunications firms in an attempt to expand broadband access to underserved areas across the United States, reports John Poirier of Reuters.  This is just one part of the massive $787 fiscal stimulus passed earlier this year.

President Barack Obama and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) have made broadband access a top priority, stating that it’s vital to be on top of the technology revolution in order for the nation to remain competitive in an increasingly global marketplace.The funding will be made available to both the public and private sectors.

Many suggest that the FCC should place net-neutrality rules within the total broadband plan. Such rules would prevent broadband providers from blocking or slowing consumers’ access to legal Web content, states Grant Gross of Computer World. Net neutrality refers to a network that has no restrictions on content, sites, equipment and types of communication.

Some ETFs that could be affected as more Americans go online include:

• iShares Dow Jones U.S. Telecom (IYZ): up 9.9% year-to-date

• Broadband HOLDRs (BDH): up 43.3% year-to-date

For more stories on telecommunications, visit our telecommunication category.

Kevin Grewal contributed to this article.

After 100 days of new leadership, it’s time to evaluate the new administration’s progress. In regard to the economy, the banking crisis and the ways Obama will change the financial industry and its relation with real estate will fall under the microscope, NPR reports. NPR also has a timeline of key events so far in the new administration.

On Wall Street, investors were still unsure and mostly unfazed by a new presidency, remarks Jeff Cox for CNBC.

Obama has spent much of his time in office so far trying to right the financial system while boosting consumer confidence, health care, technology and taking some steps to ease the housing crisis. Is it working? There are some signs that the clouds appear to be lifting, but we’re not out of the woods yet.

However, some of the best-performing funds over the last three months are some of the sectors that Obama’s administration has been working to fix, directly or indirectly:

• iShares Dow Jones U.S. Broker-Dealers (IAI): up 28.5% year-to-date

• Broadband HOLDRs (BDH): up 26.7% for the last three months

• SPDR S&P Retail (XRT): up 30.4% for the last three months

While we’re seeing the clouds lift in some areas, there is much room for improvement in many others, including:

• iShares Cohen & Steers Realty Majors (ICF): down 5% in the last three months

• Utilities Select Sector SPDR (XLU): down 13.3% in the last three months

The masses are divided over the administration. They are giving Obama good personal approval ratings but express doubts over policies. The public is almost evenly divided over Obama’s economic reforms, but investors are warming up to the administration’s plans on helping the banking sector and its public-private toxic debt plan.

Obama got dealt a lousy hand. He took office during a recession, a banking crisis, a stock market collapse and rising unemployment. He also had to focus his resources on the root of the problem, the banks. The markets seem to be reacting well to the fact that there now appears to be a more defined plan.

We may have to go back to the well a few times more, but many on Wall Street feel that we may finally be on the road to a recovery.

Next up for Obama will be focusing on jobs – it’s hard to create them and think about them when you’re dealing with a banking crisis. Obama will also have to focus on stemming the tide of foreclosures and personal bankruptcies, as well.

For full disclosure, some of Tom Lydon’s clients own shares of XRT.

Max Chen contributed to this article.

Kevin Martin, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, says that high-speed internet access is so important to the welfare of U.S. consumers that America can’t afford not to offer it for free to anyone who wants it.

He hopes to use a chunk of wireless airwaves about to hit the auction block next year to help him realize his vision, reports Leslie Cauley for USA Today. In  his position, Martin is responsible for looking out for the interests of U.S. consumers, and the FCC has regulatory sway over such businesses as cable, radio and telecommunications.

Martin sees broadband as being the main means of communications for millions of Americans, just as copper phone lines had been for decades. He’s primarily concerned about consumers in rural areas, where dial-up and satellite-based Internet are still the norm.

If you think your internet could be faster, you’re probably right: the United States ranks 15th among industrialized nations in average internet speed. Japan, South Korea, Finland and France round out the top four. It only takes two minutes to download a movie in Japan; here, it can take two hours. In Japan, they pay about the same as we do.

The Broadband HOLDRs (BDH) have been up sharply in the last month, up 16.3%. Year-to-date, it’s up 5%. Its top holding is Qualcomm (QCOM), which makes up 52.3% of the fund. Motorola (MOT) is 11.3%, and Corning (GLW) is 16.6%.

Internet HOLDRs (HHH) have also been trading higher, up 5.4% in the last month while it’s down 14.8% year-to-date. Its top components are Amazon (AMZN), 25%; Ebay (EBAY), 24.3%; Yahoo (YHOO), 23.7%.

In our current bear market, there have bee several ETFs that have managed to remain a step ahead. In fact, they are ahead. The traditional recession-free zones were no more in this market, and they certainly weren’t considered inflation fighters, reports Gary Gordon for ETF Expert.

Among the funds that bucked the bear trend include:

• iShares Biotechnology Fund (IBB): This ETF is actually showing less volatility than the S&P 500, with a low beta of 0.7%, says Gordon. Biotech has 6% on gains for the year with Amgen, Teva and Gilead gaining interest again. It’s up 9.4% year-to-date.
• Merrill Lynch Broadband HOLDRs (BDH): Qualcomm can be credited for the success of broadband. And BDH holds over 50% towards this company. The fud is up 2.8% year-to-date.
• iShares Dow Jones Transportation Sector (IYT): This sector is indicative of a true rebound for domestic stock assets. UPS and FedEx are expanding overseas, and railroad companies gain from infrastructure in the U.S. So far, IYT is chugging in 10% gains. Up 9.7% year-to-date.
• Market Vectors Environmental Services (EVX): This ETF focuses on companies that manage, remove and store consumer waste, spread over 23 companies. It is currently above its 200-day movig average. It’s up 3.2% year-to-date.
• HealthShares Cardio Services (HHE): This ETF is up 6.2% and is beating broader ETFs in the health care sector. The focus here are companies that manufacture or distribute devices for the treatment of cardiac, vascular and endovascular disorders and diseases.

For full disclosure, Tom Lydon’s clients own shares of IBB.

The Broadband HOLDRs (BDH) are up 2.4% year-to-date, and 12.8% in the last two weeks. The strength of top holding Qualcomm (QCOM), 52.3% of the fund, could have something to do with it.

Last week, the communications technology company reported third-quarter revenues of $2.8 billion for an increase of 19% from one year ago, reports Godwin Gwetu for 123jump.

There is also news that Qualcomm has been working with Google for an Android phone system, in the hopes that the technology will create a worthy competitor to Apple’s iPhone, reports Jonathan Sidener for the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Another top holding, Motorola (MOT), 11.3% of BDH, reported a return to profitability for the second quarter. The news was a surprise to Wall Street analysts, reports Miriam Marcus for Market Scan. One analyst, though, foresees continued problems with the company based on the information that the company’s handset sales are running at a slower rate than other vendors’.