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Publicly Owned Broadband Networks: Averting the Looming Broadband Monopoly

By Christopher Mitchell

The Institute for Local Self-Reliance is pleased to release the Community Broadband Map and report, Publicly Owned Broadband Networks: Averting the Looming Broadband Monopoly. The map plots the 54 cities, big and small, that own citywide fiber networks and another 79 own citywide cable networks. Over 3 million people have access to telecommunications networks whose objective is to maximize value to the community in which they are located rather than to distant stockholders and corporate executives.

Economic Impact of Wireless Rural Broadband

This study, utilizing federal and state level statistics and relying on econometric analysis, estimates the economic impact that full deployment of rural wireless broadband would have on rural America. It is based on the premise that requiring interoperability among all carriers operating in the 700 MHz band and data roaming, the fundamental building blocks for rural and regional broadband deployment, will enable investment and, consequently, rapid deployment of wireless broadband infrastructure in unserved and underserved geographies.

The Year in Review, What Lies Ahead

The National Broadband Plan, the Broadband Stimulus, the Comcast decision, the Google gigabit initiative, White Spaces, Comcast-NBCU, the first steps toward Spectrum and Universal Service reform, the changing face of Congress, the FCC’s long-awaited net neutrality decision, and many other significant developments have made 2010 an unforgettable year for broadband in America and have set the stage for another remarkable year in 2011. Join BroadbandUS TV hosts Jim Baller and Marty Stern and their guests for a lively review of 2010, particularly of the FCC’s day-old net neutrality decision, and for some bold predictions for 2011.

State Developments 2010

Broadband Year in Review – 2011

The AT&T/T-Mobile merger, the FCC’s long-awaited Open Access and Universal Service reform orders, the Google and Gig-U gigabit initiatives, the National Broadband Plan, the Broadband Stimulus program, White Spaces and spectrum reform, SOPA/PIPA, and many other significant developments have made 2011 another extraordinary year for broadband in America and have set the stage for another big year in 2012.

Impact of Broadband Speed and Price on Small Business

by Columbia Telecommunications Corporation

The purpose of this study is to explore the ways in which small businesses access and use high-speed Internet services, and to evaluate the importance of broadband speed and price for small businesses. The U.S. Small Business Administration’s Office of Advocacy is required to conduct this study under Public Law 110-385,Sec.105. Advocacy selected a small businesses that specializes in this field — Columbia Telecommunications Corporation — to conduct this research.

Superfast: Is It Really Worth a Subsidy?

By Robert Kenny and Charles Kenny

Governments around the world are investing multiple billions to support the roll-out of fiber to enable high speed broadband. These subsidies are based on the premise that fiber to the home (FTTH) brings substantial externalities. It is argued that FTTH will support economic growth and is key to national competitiveness; that it will benefit education, healthcare, transportation and the electricity industry; and that it will be the TV platform of the future.

Social Media: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly for Municipalities

This paper provides an update on a variety of topics regarding the increasingly extensive development and use of online social media by individuals, businesses and governments. This presentation builds on prior publications by our firm in related areas, including, “Legal and Policy Issues Relating to Social Networking Applications.”

Spurring Adoption and Use of Broadband

Stakeholders in America’s broadband future disagree on most issues, but not on this: with 35% of Americans not using broadband today and many others not using broadband to maximum advantage, spurring increased adoption and use is critically important to America’s success in the emerging knowledge-based global economy and is an appropriate role for all levels of government to play. In this program, Commissioner Mignon Clyburn will join BroadbandUS TV hosts Jim Baller and Marty Stern to discuss the Federal Communications Commission’s goals, activities, and progress in this area.

Broadband Among Keys For Economic Expansion

by CHRISTOPHER J. McGOWAN, Executive Vice President, The Siouxland Initiative

In this November’s mid-term elections, the single most important issue, by leaps and bounds, will be the economy, and more specifically job creation. National polls consistently reveal that no other issue is even close. One tool that has proved critical to job creation initiatives in all parts of this country is access to broadband.

A ‘Public Option’ for Broadband?

By Mark Sullivan, PCWorld

When it comes to broadband, I’m a socialist. Why? Because broadband service in the United States is currently provided by a cableco/telco duopoly, and, as such, is slower and more expensive than in most of the developed world, studies show. Because I don’t believe the FCC can fix that lack of competition within the current regulatory framework, despite the ambitious goals set forth in its National Broadband Plan. Because a reasonably-priced alternative to cable or telco broadband might be just the thing to bring competition to the industry and spur U.S. broadband cost and quality to world-class levels. Because our connectedness increasingly dictates our our economic standing in the world: Broadband is as important to us as the interstate highway system–a public works project–was to Eisenhower-era America.