Joanne Hovis and Marc Schulhof, Jim Baller and Ashley Stelfox, “The Emerging World of Broadband Public-Private Partnerships: A Business Strategy and Legal Guide,” The Benton Foundation (Feb 2016)

Hovis and Schulhof, Baller and Stelfox, The Emerging World of Broadband Public-Private Partnerships: A Business Strategy and Legal Guide (2-16-16)

Jim Baller Interview on C-Span’s “The Communicators”

James Baller, founder of the US Broadband coalition, discusses efforts to lobby Congress and the Administration of President-elect Barack Obama for a National Broadband Strategy. Anne Veigel of Communications Daily, is co-host. Program from Saturday, Dec. 13, 2008.

New America Foundation event on Capitol Hill to introduce Baller Herbst paper

Although the U.S. once led the world in Internet deployment and innovation, our nation continues to plummet in international rankings in terms of broadband adoption, speeds and costs. As a result, there is growing support for an affirmative national broadband policy to promote more affordable and ubiquitous access to high-bandwidth connectivity. 

Cathy Swirbul’s extensive interview of Jim Baller

Last year, when few in the public arena were talking about a national broadband strategy for the United States, Jim Baller and his law partner, Casey Lide, wrote two extensive articles making the case for such a strategy and setting forth an eight-step plan to develop one. Since then, an avalanche of discussion on the issue has emerged—and Baller was named the community broadband visionary of the year by the National Telecommunications Officers and Advisors (NATOA) “for almost single-handedly putting the issue of America’s need for a national broadband strategy at the forefront of public consciousness.

“Support for a national broadband strategy is growing rapidly across America,” said Baller, a founder of the Community Broadband Coalition and an attorney specializing in communications law. “Individuals and organizations representing a broad cross-section of American life have now called for a national broadband strategy, including the American Public Power Association, NATOA, the National League of Cities, EDUCAUSE, Public Technology Institute, Free Press, Communications Workers of America, and many others. So, too, have many leading high technology companies and organizations, including the Fiber to the Home Council, Amazon, Cisco, COMTEL, Google, and many more. At times, even incumbents Verizon and AT&T have supported the development of a national strategy.”

Gordon Cook on the National Broadband Strategy

In the absence of Jim Baller’s plan, the US has no initiative to move past status quo. Many informed people have rung the alarm, but he’s the first to articulate the steps necessary to achieve results. Kudos to him. Any concerns expressed should be seen against the backdrop of his commitment. The timing (before the next election) is about right for getting the matter into the political domain.

Rich Tehrani from TMCnet on “Eight Bold Steps”

“A few of my friends have ordered FiOS from Verizon and they seem happy to have broadband access at speeds once unavailable from phone companies. The sad thing is that even though broadband speeds are increasing in the US, the cost of the connections are higher than in many other parts of the world, and the speeds are still only a fraction of what others are experiencing in places like Asia.”

America Needs a Fiber-Based National Broadband Policy Now

By Jim Baller and Casey Lide, the Baller Herbst Law Group

In his latest album, Modern Times, Bob Dylan paints a troubling picture of what may  lie ahead for the United States. In a track called “Workingman’s Blues #2,” Dylan sings of  the diminishing buying power of American workers; of low wages becoming a reality in the face of brutal competition from abroad; of our inability to give away, let alone to sell, what we have to offer; of hunger creeping into our bellies; and of our fear of sinking into lives of continual crime.

“The place I love best is a sweet memory,” Dylan laments, “It’s a nude path, that we trod.” Dylan urges each of us to choose: “You can hang back or fight your best on the front lines, singin’ a little bit of these workingman blues.”

Are Dylan’s concerns overstated? Are they premature? We think not. Whether one agrees or disagrees with the details of President Bush’s broadband policies, most of us would surely agree with his observation in his most recent State of the Union address that America’s ability to remain competitive in the “dynamic world economy” is at risk. Noting the rapid emergence of competition from India, China, and other countries, he challenged America to take the dramatic steps necessary to ensure that we will continue to occupy the position of global leadership to which we have become accustomed.

In this paper, we discuss the critical importance of an aggressive national broadband policy that emphasizes the development of high-bandwidth communications systems, particularly FTTH systems. The stakes for America are huge. It is a fight from which we cannot hang back but must give our best on the front lines.