In developing a national broadband
plan to move the U.S.
ahead in the 21st century Federal Communication Commission (FCC) has
an unprecedented opportunity to put in place polices that can both bring
essential high-speed connectivity to those with limited or no access, and serve
as the foundation for long-term broadband and technological innovation. It is critical that a forward-looking national
broadband plan focus on the underlying infrastructures necessary to spur ubiquitous
high-speed broadband. Public investment in fiber
Public Wi-Fi will likely expand only with help from local or federal funds. "A model that relies on advertising is not going to be successful," says Ben Lennett of the nonpartisan New America Foundation. "Governments will have to finance this service if citizens want it." Original article
No starter pistol announces the beginning of a new technological era.[1] There are no cannon blasts or tower bells ringing forth the end of the old and dawn of the new.
As the Internet has evolved -- moving from a relatively small set of networks used by researchers to a worldwide platform used by over a billion people -- its performance has become harder to analyze and understand. Researchers lack access to critical data about the current state of broadband networks, and users can find it difficult or impossible to understand the performance and characteristics of their Internet connections.
Washington, DC -- Last
Friday the New America Foundation hosted a debate on proposals to spur
investment in broadband in the upcoming economic stimulus bill. There
were clear differences on how best to encourage investment and the
merits of placing conditions on federal subsidies, which you can view
at the video highlights below.
..speed requirements will be necessary to ensure that the U.S. doesn't have to pay for a new broadband deployment in a few years, said Benjamin Lennett, a senior program associate at the Wireless Future Program at the New America Foundation.
