Wireless Future Program: Latest Publications

The Open Technology Initiative of the New America Foundation is calling for Truth-in-Labeling by our nation's broadband operators. Drawn from similar useful disclosure requirements by lenders, these Broadband Truth-in-Labeling disclosure standards will give the marketplace a much-needed tool that clarifies and adds meaning to the terms and conditions of the service being offered. 

When the Federal Communications Commission delivers a National Broadband Plan to Congress in February 2010 the United States will not be among the first countries to implement a national broadband strategy. Taiwan, Japan, and Korea all introduced national broadband strategies in the beginning of this decade and fifteen European Union Member states proposed National Broadband Strategies in 2003. This report reviews successful strategies and goals from six of these countries: Japan, Korea, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, and Taiwan.

Determining an appropriate definition of broadband is a critical part of the Commission's development of a National Broadband Plan. An appropriate definition is essential not only for establishing "what is broadband" and "where is it available," but also for shaping the future trajectory of telecommunications innovation in the United States.  The Open Technology Initiative of the New America Foundation makes the following recommendations for the Commission to consider in defining broadband:  

As part of the Open Technology Initiative's continuing research to compare international broadband capabilities and policies, we have completed this report comparing bandwidth or usage cap policies between Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in the United States and Japan. Bandwidth caps are imposed limits on the amount of data or traffic a subscriber can consume over their Internet connection.

If you are interested in applying for Federal stimulus money for broadband related programs but are unsure where to start, the attached zine is a great place to start. Print it, pass it out, use it to spread the information in your community.