FCC’s National Broadband Plan
I hope you will take a few moments to take a look at my new Broadband Now video – this one on the FCC’s Natioanl Broadband Plan. You can access here.
Or, if you are a reader, here is the text!
From the halls of Congress…to the White House…to the corridors of the FCC…our nation is looking to the future—and broadband’s central role in it.
The clock is ticking on Congress’ mandate to the Federal Communications Commission to develop a national broadband strategy. How are those efforts going? What conversations are underway? And, how can you participate?
The FCC is counting down the days to its deadline to deliver a national broadband plan. Congress asked for the plan as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which authorizes the FCC to develop a strategy “to ensure that all people of the United States have access to broadband capability.”
August is usually a quiet time in Washington. But staff members of the FCC were hard at work conducting a series of workshops to inform the broadband plan. The conversations with various stakeholders are continuing into the fall and can be viewed on the FCC’s new broadband.gov website, where you can share your thoughts on a national broadband plan.
The workshops range in topic from infrastructure deployment to consumer adoption to how broadband can enhance key national priorities—kick-starting our economy, transforming our health care system and bringing education into the information age. Broadband and the environment, wireless high-speed Internet, cybersecurity and global competition also have been among the many issues explored.
FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski has expressed his commitment to data-driven decision-making. What do the facts tell us today about the state of U.S. broadband?
96% of Americans have access to the high-speed Internet—and more than 4 out of 5 consumers have multiple choices in terms of the companies and technologies we use.
In fact, the U.S. is virtually the only country in the world with competing national infrastructure from both cable and telecom companies. And, this is before you even get to the fastest-growing segment of broadband today—wireless broadband.
What makes it all possible? Innovation and investment.
Here, too, our nation has good news. According to the Tech Policy Institute, the U.S. leads the world in broadband infrastructure investment. The nation’s 1,400 high-speed Internet providers invest between $50 and $60 billion annually in these modern networks.
Where can we improve?
First, we need to connect everyone—and that means deploying to remotes corners of rural America where the private sector alone cannot reach.
Only about [5%] of Americans say they don’t have broadband because service is unavailable. But the $7.2 billion in federal stimulus funds mark an important down payment on the nation’s commitment to reaching all Americans.
Of course, this is a relatively modest complement to the $60 billion in annual private sector investment U.S. broadband receives. So innovative solutions to reach the final 5% should build on our overall progress through constructive policies for private companies and government to work together to bring broadband to all corners of our nation.
The bigger challenge? Ensuring all consumers take advantage of broadband in their daily lives. As it stands today, 2 out of every 3 U.S. households has broadband. Among those who have yet to make the digital leap, most say they simply have no interest in the Internet, don’t own a computer or aren’t comfortable with technology. Community-based digital literacy efforts are also among those seeking broadband stimulus funds and will be a critical component of any successful future national broadband plan.
Want to hear more about what the various stakeholders are telling the FCC? Visit our sister site—NextGenWeb.org—for first-hand testimonials and in-depth coverage of the FCC workshops and other critical milestones to developing our nation’s broadband plan.
A future where all Americans not only connect to the high-speed Internet, but take full advantage of all that it can bring into our lives? Our nation isn’t just betting on it—we’re planning for it. That’s all for this edition of Broadband Now. Until next time, stay connected and stay informed about the nation’s broadband plan—and you.
###
Tags:@reginahopper, Broadband, FCC, National Broadband Plan, Regina Hopper
