FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 15, 2007

CONTACT Joy Howell, 202-302-5932 (Mobile)

Alliance for Public Technology Warns FCC: U.S. at Risk of Becoming Gated Digital Communities

Washington, D.C., June 15, 2007 – In comments filed today by the Alliance for Public Technology (APT) with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Dr. Robert Atkinson, chair of the Public Policy Committee of the APT, cautions that the alternative to universally deployed broadband is "a nation of gated digital communities."  The subject of the comments is the Commission's measurements of broadband deployment in the United States and the need for more detailed data collection tactics (WC Docket No. 07-38).

To spur U.S. deployment efforts, APT urges the Commission to adopt the following recommendations.

• Collect data based on the exact number of subscribers in each 9-digit zip code. The current system, which uses one subscriber in a 5-digit zip code is inadequate and misleading.
• The FCC should collect data on the number of homes passed with high-speed services.  The availability of broadband connections to the home is essential to a community's quality of life today, regardless of the level of subscribers.
• The FCC should make use of commercial databases and services to augment its own data, but not rely exclusively on private sources. Government resources, such as NTIA, the Bureau of the Census and the GAO should be considered as well.
• APT supports the development of an automated voluntary reporting mechanism for consumers to inform the FCC about the state of broadband in their communities.
• The Commission should analyze broadband prices, looking for discrepancies between zip codes.  Where inequities are found, they should be addressed.

APT has been a driving force behind the concept of Section 706 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 which requires the FCC to report to Congress on whether advanced telecommunications services are being deployed to all Americans in a reasonable and timely manner.    The Alliance filed a petition with the FCC in 1998 urging the first 706 inquiry and has submitted comments in each subsequent 706 inquiry urging the Commission to encourage investment in and development of advanced telecommunications capabilities. 

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About APT
The Alliance for Public Technology is a nonprofit membership organization based in Washington, D.C., which was founded in 1989 to foster public policies that ensure access to advanced telecommunications technologies for all Americans.