Event Reportback: "A Call To Action For A National Broadband Strategy" (12/2/08)
Today, December 2, 2008, a broad range of groups from the public and private sector held a press conference to mark their signing of a joint Call to Action for a National Broadband Strategy. Non-profit public interest organizations like Free Press, Public Knowledge, Media Access Project and the New America Foundation came together with telecom and Internet titans like AT&T and Google to advocate for affordable broadband access for all Americans.
About the Call to Action, from BroadbandCensus.com: [A report from the 12/2/08 event follows below]
The document has been crafted over the past year under the stewardship of James Baller, senior principal of the Baller Herbst Law Group. "What's most remarkable about this initiative is that so large and diverse a group of organizations agreed not only on the terms of our call to action statement, but also to continue to work together to build consensus on the substance of a national broadband strategy," Baller said in a statement.
The "call to action" includes general principles about the need for advanced communications capabilities, highlights the fact that "too many Americans still do not have access to affordable broadband," and sets five goals for a comprehensive government strategy that would promote broadband.
The five goals are that (a) every American home and institution should have access to broadband, (b) access to the Internet should be open to all users and content providers, (c) network operators "must have the right to manage their networks responsibly, pursuant to clear and workable guidelines and standards," (d) the broadband marketplace "should be" competitive; and (e) U.S. broadband networks should have the performance and capacity necessary to allow this country to be competitive in the global marketplace.
The document then outlines policies to stimulate investment, policies to stimulate adoption and use, and measures for "a system for regular and timely collection and publication of data" on broadband deployment, adoption and use.
From Future of Music Coalition, By Casey Rae-Hunter:
Today's event consisted of several panel discussions held in the Senate Dirksen building. Each speaker described the need for a comprehensive broadband strategy as essential to job creation, international competitiveness, innovation and education.
We at FMC think it would be in everyone's best interest to have consistent and transparent rules that allow a level playing field for innovators, consumers and creators. Actually, that's the whole reason behind our Rock the Net campaign.
The ailing economy was front and center in the majority of panelist comments. Larry Cohen of Communications Workers of America (CWA) suggested that investment in broadband would create 100,000 telecom-industry jobs, and ultimately result in 2.4 million new jobs throughout the economy.
Ben Scott of Free Press outlined a few problems on the road to better broadband penetration, including availability, adoption rates (which he tied to higher speeds and lower prices), and the lack of computers and appropriate training in many neighborhoods and communities.
At the Future of Music Coalition (FMC), we believe that smart broadband initiatives will ultimately benefit musicians who live and work in these very communities. In fact, we think digital inclusion and broadband deployment are key to the emergence of a legitimate digital music marketplace where fans can find the music they want, and more artists can reach those fans without the interference of gatekeepers and middlemen.
As technology helps us develop and refine possible new revenue streams for musicians, it becomes all the more necessary to make sure artists can compete on a level playing field. There are encouraging signs that Net Neutrality — the principle that protects the open structure of the internet — will be at the core of any new broadband policies. Even AT&T — which in the past could hardly be described as pro-net neutrality — seem to have come around to recognizing the importance of open Internet structures.
During his comments, Jim Cicconi of AT&T said that his company had an "explicit commitment to the open Internet." However, he stopped short of suggesting there needed to be any specific regulation to determine how Net Neutrality should be enforced, saying that the FCC's current principles are sufficient. Unfortunately, the vagueness of the existing principles makes them difficult to enforce, even after lengthy investigations such as the recent FCC probe into Comcast's "network management" practices.
One thing's for sure: there's a lot of work to be done on the road to a legitimate digital music marketplace. A national broadband strategy that upholds the principles of Net Neutrality is definitely a step in the right direction.
