Thanks to broadband, the jobs of first responders and public safety officials all across America are being made easier on a daily basis. Through improved communication and access to up-to-the-minute information including video and other vital data, broadband is transforming emergency response and preparedness.

So important is the role of broadband to public safety efforts that an entire section of the recently released FCC National Broadband Plan was dedicated to its role in public safety and homeland security. The plan states:

“Broadband technology is particularly critical to public safety because it can provide enhanced situational awareness from first responders in emergency situations. Through broadband use, public safety entities can access medical records, site information and other video and data information useful for emergency responses. Broadband will also improve the nation’s current 9-1-1 system by establishing the foundation for the transmission of voice, data or video to Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) during emergency phone calls.”

This week, NextGenWeb will be shining a spotlight on how first responders and public safety officials are using broadband on a daily basis. In the meantime, be sure to check out this archived interview that we conducted with Rear Admiral (ret.) James Arden Barnett, Jr., Chief of the Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau at the Federal Communications Commission, to learn more about the vision of a nationwide interoperable public safety network powered by broadband.

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Seize the opportunities enabled by broadband! That was the theme that rang through the diverse speeches and panels at Rainbow PUSH Coalition’s 2010 Media & Telecommunications Symposium.  The symposium serves as both a celebration of rapidly evolving digital world, but also as a platform for government, academics, industry, and community to come together to discuss the important policy issues around these new technologies.

FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski kicked off the event with speech encouraging that we approach the challenges in our current economy with the opportunities provided by broadband.  He referred to the Pew study that shows that one third of those with access to broadband do not adopt, before urging “we need all Americans online!”  Genachowski cited several applications of broadband that are helping to bridge the digital divide – including jobs, entrepreneurship, and e-government, the last of which we will be focusing on all week here at NextGenWeb.

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Last night One Economy, a global technology non-profit, hosted their 10th anniversary celebration by honoring FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski and the rest of the National Broadband Plan team for their “leadership in promoting broadband adoption.” In One Economy’s 10 years of existence, they have launched numerous programs aimed at combating digital inequality, while highlighting the benefits of technology and broadband for multicultural communities.

The National Broadband Plan does a great job of focusing priorities towards getting broadband to those five percent of Americans who still don’t have access, while also educating the more than 30% of Americans who have access but haven’t subscribed because of computer ownership, relevance or literacy issues.

NextGenWeb applauds Chairman Genachowski for his work towards this laudable goal. Let’s remain focused on real-world solutions such as adoption and education.

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Blair Levin, former Director of the Omnibus Broadband Initiative, and current fellow at the Aspen Institute, delivered a forward-thinking morning keynote at the Pennsylvania Broadband Summit. There was buzz surrounding the address, following a recent interview with Levin in Politico where he provided a sneak preview to some of the ideas that he would later discuss.

The core of Levin’s remarks were simple – there are widely accepted presuppositions about broadband policy that are actually hindering progress towards the goal of universal broadband service in the United States. He communicated these in the form of a list of “four bad ideas for broadband planning
,” and a corresponding “good idea.”

The first “bad idea” states that we should focus on a primary metric when generating policy recommendations. Levin stated that focusing on a primary metric does not reflect the reality of the broadband ecosystem, and that policies need to interact with the entire broadband ecosystem in order to drive innovation and investment.

Another “bad idea” dealt with the issue of broadband speeds. Levin stated that, while speed is important, it should be how people are utilizing broadband networks that is the ultimate driving factor for policy. This will help accelerate economic growth and the improvement in the delivery of essential public services.

Finally, and perhaps most contentiously, Levin took aim at rural broadband policy. While he affirmed the importance of bringing broadband to rural areas, he argued that focusing too much on rural deployment can lead to a disproportionate amount of resources going to one issue. He used statistics to verify his point, stating that deploying broadband to the last 250,000 homes in America would cost around $14billion, leading to an investment gap. The right idea? “Broadband policy should drive constant innovation and improvement throughout all geographic areas.”

Following his remarks, we caught up with Levin to further discuss a few of his points. Click below to watch the interview.

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Day 1 of the Pennsylvania Broadband Summit concluded with a keynote presentation by NextGenWeb contributor and America’s broadband mayor, Graham Richard, followed by a roundtable discussion on the National Broadband Plan, featuring the FCC’s John Horrigan, Verizon Pennsylvania’s Gale Given, and others.

Mayor Richard focused his remarks on the role the broadband can play in local communities in order to “retain and gain jobs.” At NextGenWeb, we make a point of highlighting the role that broadband plays in the economy, from increased competitiveness to job creation. Mayor Richard brought the story close to home by describing how he used broadband in his role as a two-term mayor of Fort Wayne, Indiana to make the second largest city in the state a global competitor, and a place where companies want to conduct business.

The following panel focused on specific areas of the recently released National Broadband Plan. Gale Given of Verizon Pennsylvania discussed how broadband can be used to address what the Broadband Plan calls “national purposes,” including healthcare, education, energy, and public safety. Given highlighted specific programs in the state of Pennsylvania, and how Verizon is enabling those programs through grants and other means. Finally, Given touched on the policy implications of the National Broadband Plan, stating that policies need to remain in place continue to incent private investment, rather than hinder it.

After the keynote and the round-table discussion, we caught up with Mayor Richard and Given to get more of their thoughts. Click below to watch the interviews.

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NextGenWeb is at the Pennsylvania Broadband Summit where government officials, industry leaders and consumers have all gathered to discuss the state of broadband in both Pennsylvania and the nation. John Horrigan, Associate Director for Research at the FCC and friend of NextGenWeb, delivered the opening keynote.

Horrigan, formerly with the Pew Internet and American Life Project, opened his remarks by describing the three main areas of the National Broadband Plan – deployment of infrastructure, universal adoption, and national purposes – but focused his comments on the second – broadband adoption. Horrigan described very succinct lines upon which broadband adoption can be divided, including level of education, income, and age. Perhaps not surprisingly, more education, coupled with higher income levels and younger age all leads to higher broadband adoption rates.

Horrigan then focused on actual broadband adoption levels, and reasons why non-adopters themselves have cited for their lack of adoption. It should be noted that only 4% of adults cite lack of availability as their reason for not adopting broadband. That means 96% of Americans have access to broadband. The question then – if 96% have access, then why does only 66% actually have broadband? The answer is rather muddled, but there are three main reasons that non-adopters cite for their lack of adoption – price, digital literacy, and relevance.

Now, while many detractors often point to price as being a primary reason, Horrigan was quick to point out that data actually pushes against the notion that broadband in America is too expensive. Only 15% of non-adopters don’t have broadband because they think their monthly bill would be too high.

More importantly, and perhaps more alarming, is that nearly 50% of non-adopters either don’t see broadband as relevant to their lives, are afraid of going online, or don’t believe they have the digital literacy necessary to navigate the web.

The moral of the story? Contrary to what some have said, access and price are not major barriers to broadband adoption. This is why focusing policies on digital literacy and computer ownership programs is not only important, but necessary.

Following his presentation, we caught up with Horrigan to further discuss some of his findings. Click below to watch the interview.

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In a room full of broadband providers and vendors, a conversation about the effects that Washington policy discussions could have on their business was timely and relevant.

On the third and final day of the Fiber to the Home Conference and Expo, Tom Cohen, the Washington DC Counsel and Advocate for the FTTH Council North America, led a discussion on current topics in telecom regulation and legislation. The session provided an excellent overview of various discussions and debates in Washington, including Net neutrality, broadband classification, Universal Service reform, and more.

Cohen opened up his comments by giving a very recent history lesson that included the release of the National Broadband Plan, the Comcast ruling by the Supreme Court, and subsequent comment periods opened up by the FCC. Cohen described the Supreme Court ruling as the single biggest event to affect current moves by the FCC towards more regulation. Following the ruling, the FCC’s authority was called into question, which led the FCC to explore other avenues for regulation of broadband services.

So what does the currently proposed “Third Way” for broadband classification really mean for broadband providers and vendors, and what effect could it have on their business? The answer was overwhelming. As Cohen explained, classifying broadband under Title II would create uncertainty for investors, which would in turn lead to less capital for investment and inhabit continued broadband deployment.

Cohen continually pointed to a filing by the Fiber to the Home Council in response to a recent Notice of Inquiry by the FCC, which states, “Reclassifying broadband Internet service as a Title II service offering would measurably increase the risk associated with investing in newly-regulated markets where regulatory requirements are uncertain and where proposed regulations are certain to be subject to many years of litigation.” The filing can be read here. The bottom line – increased regulation leads to increased risk for investment, which then leads to uncertainty. Why mess with a good thing.

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In a conference all about looking ahead at our broadband future, it was fitting to have a session dedicated to the National Broadband Plan and the impact it will have on the growth of our nation’s broadband services at the FTTH Conference and Expo.  Randall Frantz, Telecommunications and LBS Manager for ESRI, updated attendees about The Influence of National Broadband Plans on Telecommunications Projects.

Frantz began by noting that there are many perspectives when it comes to the impact of broadband – from consumers, to government, to communities, to the world at large.  But the real impetus for a national broadband plan?  Frantz believes that with the top countries in broadband all having a national broadband plans, the U.S. was not to be left behind.  He asked, “It’s the amazing race, but where is the finish line?”

For the U.S., the race will take us to 4mbps universally and 100mbps to 100 million households by 2020.  Other goals of the national broadband plan that Frantz discussed include:

• World leadership in innovation
• Affordable access
• Anchor institutions with 1gps access
• Broadband public safety network
• Basis for a clean energy economy

Frantz ranks the National Broadband Plan of 2010 among other pivotal communications legislative marks, like the Communications Act of 1934 and the Telecommunications Act of 1996.  Implementing programs like the Connect America Fund and National Digital Literacy Corps, in addition to recognizing the societal benefits of the national purposes, made him optimistic that the plan will be a driver of economic development in the information age.

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Jonathan Spalter, chairman of Mobile Future, along with a chorus of others, is asking the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and Chairman Julius Genachowski to end its quest to classify broadband Internet service under an outdated 1934 rotary telephone law. Spalter sees Title II classification having a major impact on the private sector investment that has kept the Internet industry alive and well even during the current economic downturn. Still, there is a way for Chairman Genachowski to get it right and empower this industry to continue its growth and innovation.

“I believe Genachowski can responsibly – and with broad consensus – ensure the future of an open Internet by first taking the courageous step of withdrawing his unilateral and controversial Third Way proposal. In its place, he should explicitly recognize that a decision to fundamentally alter the regulatory landscape, especially when it directly implicates the Internet, requires legislative action, and as a result, he should encourage lawmakers in Congress to take on the hard but important work of creating a new, bipartisan and workable framework for continued American growth, investment and innovation in the Internet.”

To read Jonathan Spalter’s entire article, click here.

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Broadband companies have invested over $500 billion in the past ten years in our nation’s broadband communication infrastructure.  However, rural areas continue to be the most challenging to reach with broadband due to tough terrain and lower density populations.  So when Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry shared his state’s broadband success story with Tulsa World, in support of a hands-off approach by the FCC, we thought we should share it:

In 2002, our state stood at the fork in the road, too. The path we chose was one of less regulation for broadband service, not more, and the results could not be more definitive and clear. A hands-off approach delivered real results.

Since the passage of our broadband parity legislation, we have seen expanded access into the most rural parts of our state. Families in Bessie (population 190) and Rattan (population 241) are beginning to compete with the larger urban areas when it comes to broadband access, choice and price. Prices, too, have dropped by 50 percent, and broadband subscribers have grown by more than 1,000 percent since 2001.

The Oklahoma experience in broadband regulation demonstrates a better way to ensure access to all the rich resources of the Internet. At the fork in the road, we chose the path to eliminate regulation of broadband service, and we have no regrets.

You can read more from the Tulsa World article here.

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