[Infowarrior] - Coalition Drawing Up Nationwide Broadband Access Strategy
Richard Forno
rforno at infowarrior.org
Wed Dec 3 20:28:08 UTC 2008
New Coalition Drawing Up Nationwide Broadband Access Strategy
By Cecilia Kang
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, December 3, 2008; D03
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/02/AR2008120203164_pf.html
President-elect Barack Obama has said getting affordable high-speed
Internet service to every American home would create jobs, fuel
economic growth and spark innovation. Yesterday, representatives from
technology and telecommunications companies, labor unions and public
interest groups frequently at odds with one another agreed to provide
the next president with a roadmap for how to accomplish those goals.
That map could include tax breaks, low-interest loans, subsidies and
public-private partnerships to encourage more investments in upgrading
and building out high-speed networks, representatives from Google,
AT&T and public interest group Free Press said during a panel
discussion on broadband policy that also served as a coming-out party
for their newly formed coalition.
The details of how to meet those goals still must be worked out by the
group, whose aim is to bring more affordable high-speed Internet
access to every consumer.
Many of the group members have been at odds with each other on whether
the government should set limits on how much spectrum a company can
hold, the use of unlicensed devices on fallow broadcast airwaves and
net neutrality -- the notion that network operators should be
prevented from blocking or slowing Internet traffic. The formation of
the group is an effort to move beyond their differences.
"The coalition is a positive in that it demonstrates we agree that we
have a broadband problem, which not everyone was willing to admit to
two years ago," said Ben Scott, policy director at Free Press and a
member of the group. "The key is whether we'll see this group produce
policy solutions that will require difficult choices."
At stake is the nation's ability to compete technologically and
economically, the group said. The United States has dropped from the
top 10 nations for broadband access, speeds and price in the last
several years. The coalition is pushing for a federal plan that would
provide access to high-speed Internet service, much as the government
did with electricity, roads and phone service.
Obama famously used the Internet for outreach during his campaign and
received 370,000 donations online. He's proposed using blogs, social
networking tools and community Web pages known as wikis to connect
citizens to government agencies. And Obama has argued for massive
upgrades to technology infrastructure such as high-speed, or
broadband, Internet.
So far the coalition's plans to increase broadband usage mirrors
Obama's plan, but there could be disagreement over deployment,
analysts said.
Communications Workers of America President Larry Cohen said the union
supports a proposal by Sen. John D. Rockefeller IV (D-W.Va.) to
increase definitions for broadband to 10 megabits per second for
downloads by 2010. The current definition for broadband speed in the
United States is 768 kilobits per second downstream, which is far
below standards in many other nations.
Achieving that goal at prices acceptable to consumers, however, would
be expensive for telecom and cable network operators. Some in the
coalition could push for laws that would achieve lower prices and
higher speeds through more wireless and telecom competitors, but that
could cause further disagreement among members, Scott said.
Some have already suggested requesting funds from the federal economic
stimulus plan for broadband deployment. Yesterday, an aide to House
Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Pelosi was in favor of that idea.
AT&T chief lobbyist Jim Cicconi said the company has moved closer to
the view of public interest groups and Google that the Web should be
open for all users without discrimination of technology and content on
their network. But unlike Free Press and consumer groups, AT&T opposes
new laws or rules on net neutrality, saying Federal Communications
Commission rules are sufficient, and any violation should be handled
on a case-by-case basis.
"There will be significant outstanding debates that will be very tough
and there will still be daylight between the groups on many, many
issues," said Rebecca Arbogast, an analyst at investment firm Stifel
Nicolaus. "But both sides are in a phase right now where they are
emphasizing how much they share in terms of their views on what is an
appropriate framework for looking at this issue."
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