NextGenWeb continued it’s coverage of Supernova 2010 at the “Broadband Challenge” panel. Representing opinions from across the aisle and touching on a wide spectrum of issues, the panel was not lacking for fireworks. Panelists included Rick Whitt (Google), Harold Feld (Public Knowledge), Jonathan Banks (US Telecom), Rebecca Arbogast (Stifel Nicolaus), and John Leibovitz (FCC).

The title “Broadband Challenge” not only presented the panelists with the ability to go many directions with their comments, but also represented a unique way of stimulating debate. The term “challenge” in and of itself signifies a test to which there could be many different answers. Those varying answers were well-represented.

Harold Feld kicked things off with a challenge to the current administration. For the tech community, will this administration be the best or worst? Then Feld called for an intervention of the FCC on behalf of the tech community. He continued on about specific policies before being cut off by Kevin Werbach, founder of Supernova, for using too many acronyms and being “wonky.”

Jon Banks of USTelecom followed by providing some context to the “wonky” issues that Feld had previously highlighted. Banks asked an important question – when discussing the regulation of a fast-moving, ever changing medium like the Internet, does a bureaucratic, relatively slow moving agency like the FCC really make sense? He then illustrated what he saw to be the real broadband challenge – adoption. 35% of Americans are not connected to the Internet via broadband today, but only 5% don’t have access. That leaves some 30% of Americans who have access, but are not adopting. According to Banks, finding ways to transcend barriers to adoption such as digital literacy, computer ownership and perceived relevancy should be the main focus of broadband policy.

Rebecca Arbogast took the perspective of what she described as “outside the beltway investors.” She informs investors in telecom, media and tech sectors about outcomes and decisions in the courts and around Washington. While praising the current administration for focusing more on how broadband can be used to address other societal concerns, she offered the following warning – increased government regulation would lead to uncertainty for investors. In turn, uncertainty could lead to less investment in broadband networks by the private sector. Arbogast also discussed how recent policy issues, such as broadband classification, take attention away from the National Broadband Plan. She then turned to the issue of the broadband market structure, stating that it is a mature, stable and capital intensive market, and that hoping for the creation of 3 or 4 competing broadband lines to a home is unreasonable.

The FCC’s Jon Leibovitz spoke mostly about the spectrum issues the commission is currently focused upon. He provided 3 trends to look forward to – increased use of smart phones, new devices with embedded connectivity, and wireless becoming another entry point into the home for residential broadband. Rick Whitt concluded the panel by discussing the National Broadband Plan and the extraordinary amount of time that it will take to implement.

While the issue of the “Broadband Challenge” has many meanings, Jon Banks’ appeal to focus on issues such as adoption seem to resonate. Broadband can be a transformative medium, opening a new and opportunistic world for those who have access. But for those who don’t yet realize these benefits, communicating to them should remain a priority.

Click below to watch an interview with Jon Banks and NextGenWeb’s own Shana Glickfield.

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