Washington, DC -- Today, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski announced the "100 Squared" initiative, a commitment to bring 100 megabit per second (mbps) broadband access to 100 million households, as part of the upcoming National Broadband Plan.
"The '100 Squared' initiative is an important step to bring United States connectivity inline with international norms for speed", commended James Losey, program associate at the New America Foundation's Open Technology Initiative. "The past decade of policy decisions have decayed American leadership in connectivity and this initiative can help turn that around."
In September the New America Foundation published 100 Megabits or Bust! demonstrating the viability of not only reaching universal broadband access, but also reaching the speeds that will allow for continued leadership in the growth and innovation of the Internet. Detailing how the United States had dropped from a broadband leader to follower, NAF urged the FCC to adopt robust goals, including 100 mbps access, as part of the forthcoming national broadband plan.
This FCC initiative can play a vital role in building healthy information communities outlined by the Knight Commission report on sustaining democracies in a digital age, but the impact will depend on the deployment.
"Speed is only one goal in connectivity," added Tom Glaisyer, Knight Media Policy Fellow, "in the future broadband will be ever more important for media, and civic engagement. As the recent Knight Report Informing Communities argues we have to see this infrastructure as our democratic infrastructure not as just a technology."
Losey explains: "In expanding broadband access and adoption, the FCC needs to incorporate open Internet rules to maximize the benefits for education, healthcare, energy and economic opportunity."
The Chairman's remarks are available from the FCC:
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-296262A1.pdf
100 Megabits or Bust! is available from the New America Foundation:
http://www.newamerica.net/publications/policy/100_megabits_or_bust
Please contact Kate Brown with media inquiries at 202-213-7051 or brown@newamerica.net.
