Three organizations leading the advancement of broadband adoption, Broadband for America, the US Internet Industry Association (USIIA), and Net Literacy, dedicated a daylong conference to the issue earlier this week in Washington, DC.  Industry, government, consumers, and more all shared their expertise through keynotes and panels that included:

• Keynote address by USTelecom President & CEO Walter McCormick
• The Broadband Adoption Paradox
• Where Will We Get the Computers?
• Keynote address by former Broadband Initiative Exec Director at FCC Blair Levin
• Outline for Community Adoption Programs
• Promoting Broadband Adoption

One of the experts participating in the conference was Brian David, Director of Adoption & Usage at the FCC.  He began his speech analogizing broadband policy to the sport of curling.  You might raise an eyebrow at this, as many in the room did, but his explanation brought the truth to light.  First, the curler throws the stone, which in this case would be the private sector, nonprofits, and communities.  Their target is sustainable broadband.  The sweepers, whose role is to influence the path of the stone towards the target, would be analogous to the FCC’s National Broadband Plan.

David played an integral role in the creation of the broadband plan, listing the factors below as key priorities of the National Broadband Plan:

1)   Focus on the barriers to adoption

2)   Focus on broadband in the home

3)   Promote broadband utilization

4)   Measure and adjust

5)   Form partnerships across stakeholder groups

Watch the video below for more from Brian David.

NextGenWeb also caught up with Navarrow Wright, President of Maximum Leverage Solutions, who shared a more personal and practical perspective on broadband adoption.  He believes we need to demonstrate a strong value proposition to non-adopters, ideally around jobs and entrepreneurship.  Watch the video below for more from Wright.

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