Category: Support

Barack Obama’s current platform on technology including his perspective on broadband.

The United States Conference of Mayors (USCM) on Monday, June 23, unanimously passed a resolution calling for broadband deployment action at the national level. The resolution was co-sponsored by Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino, Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom and Miami Mayor Manny Diaz and calls on the Administration, the U.S. Congress and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to develop a national broadband policy that makes high speed internet connections to cities a national imperative. The resolution also called for measures to preserve the ability of local governments to provide broadband services within their communities.

BE IT RESOLVED that if U.S. cities are to thrive as engines of economic growth and be globally competitive in the 21st Century, then the Administration, Congress and the FCC should take action now to develop a comprehensive national broadband policy that includes high speed broadband deployment to cities as an imperative;

HOUSE RESOLUTION 1292 – Establishing a national goal for the universal deployment of next-generation broadband networks to access the internet and for other uses by 2015, and calling upon Congress and the President to develop a strategy, enact legislation, and adopt policies to accomplish this objective.

Invest in Rural Broadband: Rural households are about half as likely to have a broadband connection. Just as FDR’s rural electrification initiative brought power to every corner of the country, Edwards will set a national broadband policy with a goal of giving all U.S. homes and businesses access to real high-speed internet by 2010. Universal broadband will give rural areas better access to medical care and specialists through tele-medicine facilities. A national broadband map will identify service gaps to encourage investment, Edwards will require telephone and cable companies not to discriminate against rural communities, and set aside a portion of the broadcast spectrum for community providers to improve service in rural areas. [ITU, 2006; CWA, 2006]

Cisco Systems CEO John Chambers called on political leaders to develop a U.S. national broadband policy to help the United States close the digital divide and compete more effectively on a global scale. Cisco Systems CEO John Chambers moments ago called on political leaders to develop a national broadband policy, which would help the United States close the digital divide and compete more effectively on a global scale. He also called on the United States to change its definition of broadband to 100Mbps connections.

SENATE RESOLUTION 191 – Establishing a national goal for the universal deployment of next-generation broadband networks to access the internet and for other uses by 2015, and calling upon congress and the president to develop a strategy, enact legislation and adopt policies to accomplish this objective.

“As a nation that prides itself on technology leadership, it’s mystifying why the U.S. doesn’t have a clear, well-planned strategy and supporting policies for broadband. No matter what your personal beliefs are as to whether the federal government or market forces should actually provide tomorrow’s high-speed networks, it’s impossible to ignore the fact that the lack of a coherent plan for how the country will use bandwidth to enhance its citizens’ lives, and maintain its competitiveness in world markets, is a huge problem.”

SAN JOSE, CA — U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ) and Cisco President and CEO John Chambers shared a stage on Friday at the San Jose Convention Center at the Silicon Valley Leadership Group’s Annual Public Policy luncheon. Stephen Wright, editor of the San Jose Mercury News editorial page, questioned the pair about R&D, Immigration, What’s Going Right and more. No, not that Steven Wright.When asked by Wright what was the one thing that Congress could do to make the biggest impact to innovation the responses were thus: (I’m paraphrasing)McCain: Immigration reform. We need to get more H1-B workers in the US in order to have the educated workers available in the innovation creating jobs.Chambers: Broadband