Public Tech Notes

In the hope of sparking a re-evaluation of our nation’s broadband programs and the adoption of a comprehensive national policy promoting greater broadband deployment across our entire nation, the Alliance for Public Technology (APT) and the Communications Workers of America (CWA) have joined forces.

Our Advanced Universal Service Campaign began with the release of CWA’s SpeedMatters report and APT’s report Achieving Universal Broadband: Policies for Stimulating Deployment and Demand. You can strengthen our collective voice by registering your endorsement for the policy recommendations in these reports here. The campaign also includes:

Broad circulation of the policy reports to policymakers and community leaders;
A series of lunches and other forums that highlight the impact of broadband connections for a diverse array of consumer populations;
Updates to APT’s popular 2004 state survey report and its 2003 case studies report that focus on broadband applications and programs that are enhancing our quality of life and policy recommendations that encourage their proliferation;
Briefings on policy recommendations to stimulate deployment of and demand for advanced telecommunications networks and services.

To learn more about our efforts, please visit APT online at www.apt.org.

APT, CWA, Benton Foundation Launch Brown Bag Lunch Series

On March 23, APT co-hosted a highly successful brown bag lunch with the Communications Workers of America and the Benton Foundation that centered on our policy paper Achieving Universal Broadband: Policies for Stimulating Deployment and Demand. The program featured three perspectives on the topic from Rob Atkinson, Ph.D., APT Policy Chair and President of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, Jim Kohlenberger, Senior Fellow at the Benton Foundation and Ken Peres, Ph.D., President of APT and Research Economist at the Communications Workers of America.

All three speakers pointed out the importance of broadband networks and services, not for competition, but for our quality of life and argued that it be included in universal service. Mr. Kohlenberger pointed out that broadband has been called “as important as water” by the United Nations and Dr. Peres warned that without a comprehensive national policy, we risk becoming a nation of “gated digital communities.” They also concurred on the inadequacy of the FCC’s current definition of high speed and called for a new standard.

Dr. Atkinson set the framework for discussion by emphasizing APT’s recommendations to establish clear national goals, including: accurate reporting of broadband deployment, speeds and prices; private investment and marketplace competition; a requirement for Universal Service Fund recipients to offer broadband services; and the provision of tax incentives, low interest loans and grants for deployment. Dr. Atkinson noted that other countries are more advanced in broadband deployment because they recognize the importance of having connections, possess innovative policies and invest billions of dollars in deployment, strategies as APT recommends.

Dr. Peres stressed the need to develop accurate assessments, set specific goals and adopt effective policies as the way to achieve universal broadband. Like the other panelists, Dr. Peres stressed the importance of including broadband in the Universal Service Fund. However, he suggested that the only way to effectively understand America’s broadband needs is through mapping that will properly identify gaps in access. “Broadband is a national, state and community problem that we need to address and reform,” he said. Dr. Peres also pointed to the unfairness of the current USF distribution system and recommended reforms.

Mr. Kohlenberger was in consensus with the other panelists and offered various “out of the box” ways of thinking about broadband. He noted the exponential growth of the technology and proposed focusing on policies for “further, faster, fatter and smarter broadband.” In addition, he suggested that America think about telecom polices in a “what if” fashion. For example, what if every American with a disability was enabled by video services to live productively or what if America could be number one in this digital world. “America can use the challenges posed by the USF as an opportunity to expand the policy to include broadband and fully connect our nation,” he concluded.

Save the Date for April 26 Brown Bag Lunch at NCBA

On Thursday, April 26, the National Caucus and Center on Black Aged (NCBA) will host the second of the APT-CWA-Benton series of brown bag lunches. This lunch will focus on the impact of broadband policies on older Americans in areas such as healthcare, independent living and quality of life. Look for more details in the next Public Tech Notes and online at www.apt.org.

TELECOM NEWS

FCC Releases NOI on Broadband Practices

On March 22, the Federal Communications Commission announced a Notice of Inquiry (NOI) to better understand the behavior of the participants in the market for broadband services. This NOI follows the FCC’s 2005 Internet Policy Statement that included four principals to encourage broadband deployment and to preserve and promote the open nature of the Internet. APT supports the network neutrality Principles set forth in this statement and believes that all sides of the network neutrality debate share the same goal: keeping the Internet an open and innovative platform, one that continues to meet our needs for effective communication, quality of life, democratic participation and economic growth.

APT commends the FCC for opening this inquiry so that we can ensure that our communications networks remain free and open, while encouraging investment in networks that are both intelligent and innovative. The NOI seeks information on the behavior of broadband market participants, including: how broadband providers are managing Internet traffic on their networks today, whether providers charge different prices for different speeds or capacities of service, whether FCC policies should distinguish between content providers that charge end users for access to content and those that do not and how consumers are affected by these practices. “We have the dual responsibilities of creating an environment that promotes infrastructure investment and broadband deployment and to ensure that consumers' access to content on the Internet is protected. We can best fulfill these responsibilities by being fully informed,” said FCC Commissioner Kevin Martin.

UPCOMING EVENTS

April 1-4
Association of Communications Technology Professionals in Higher Education (ACUTA)
Spring 2007 Summit on IP Communications in Higher Education
Baltimore, MD
http://www.acuta.org/events/seminars/sse07.cfm

April 4
Information Technology and Innovation Foundation
Breakfast Forum: Understanding the Japanese Broadband Miracle
Washington, DC
http://www.innovationpolicy.org/index.php?s=newsevents

April 10-15
National Captioning Institute
Described Media Institute
Vienna, VA
RSVP to jsnyder@ncicap.org

April 20
Federal Communications Commission
First Responders Summit: Interoperable and Reliable Public Safety Communications
Washington, DC
http://www.fcc.gov/pshs/events.html

April 23-24
CoSN, ISTE, NACOL and SETDA
Washington Education Technology Policy Summit
Washington, DC
Click for more information

April 24
President’s Council of Advisors on Science & Technology
Meeting
Washington, DC
http://www.ostp.gov/PCAST/pcast.html

April 25
Federal Communications Commission
Open Meeting
Washington, DC
http://www.fcc.gov/realaudio/#apr25

April 26
APT, NCBA, Benton Foundation
Brown Bag Lunch
Washington, DC
www.apt.org