The Globe and Mail reports in its Wednesday edition that Ottawa spent only 40 per cent of funds earmarked for mobile and Internet infrastructure by March, leaving nearly $1.5-billion on the table, a report from Canada's Auditor-General has found. The Globe's Irene Galea writes that the report, tabled on Monday in the House of Commons by Auditor-General Karen Hogan, found that Canada's telecom regulator and industry department had been much slower than expected in administering its funding programs. A range of programs offered by the federal government aim to support companies and municipalities in their rollout of high-speed Internet and mobile connectivity, especially in rural areas. "The standout point from this government is that they have put so much money into broadband. But if the funding is simply getting announced and not actually spent, then that hurts the government's track record," said Michael McNally, a University of Alberta digital technology professor and co-founder of the Alberta Rural Connectivity Consortium. According to the report, as of January, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada had distributed just $891-million of the $2.14-billion allotted for its various programs.