Library

Next Generation Broadband as a Municipal Utility

It is in the national interest that higher-speed networks proliferate quickly and to the greatest extent possible – and that special measures be taken to ensure that these networks can be accessed by people who live beyond the major metropolitan areas. Accordingly, it is the position of the FTTH Council that anyone who has the means and the desire to build an FTTH network should be allowed and encouraged to do so.

Harvard’s Berkman Center: Broadband policy from around the world

Fostering the development of a ubiquitously networked society, connected over high-capacity networks, is a widely shared goal among both developed and developing countries. High capacity networks are seen as strategic infrastructure, intended to contribute to high and sustainable economic growth and to core aspects of human development.

USDA: “Broadband Internet’s Value to Rural America”

As broadband—or high-speed—Internet use has spread, Internet applications requiring high transmission speeds have become an integral part of the “Information Economy,” raising concerns about those who lack broadband access. This report analyzes (1) rural broadband use by consumers, the community-at-large, and businesses; (2) rural broadband availability; and (3) broadband’s social and economic effects on rural areas. It also summarizes results from an ERS-sponsored workshop on rural broadband use, and other ERS-commissioned studies.

Economic Stimulus Analyses and Related Matters

Federal Developments 2009-2010

Round Two

Round One

Key Stimulus Websites

Original Sources

Samples of Baller Herbst Analyses

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Section 6001(k)

Section of Reinvestment Act wherein “) Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this section, the Commission shall submit to the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate, a report containing a national broadband plan.”

Free Press: “Dismantling Digital Regulation

On a cold February morning 13 years ago, President Bill Clinton made history by signing the  Telecommunications Act of 1996 into law. It was the first signing at the Library of Congress and the first to be streamed live over the Internet. This symbolism was intended to capture the legislation’s promise of bringing  the information revolution to the doorstep of every American. As President Clinton signed a bill he described as “truly revolutionary” and that would “protect consumers against monopolies,” he spoke of the future the law would bring. “Soon, working parents will be able to check up on their children in class via computer,” he said. “On a rainy Saturday night, you’ll be able to order up every movie ever produced or every symphony ever
created in a minute’s time.”

Americans are still waiting on the promise of this digital revolution.

Congressional Research Service: The Evolving Broadband Infrastructure

Over the past decade, the telecommunications sector has undergone a vast transformation fueled by rapid technological growth and subsequent evolution of the marketplace. Much of the U.S. policy debate over the evolving telecommunications infrastructure is framed within the context of  a “national broadband policy.”