US Broadband Coalition Releases Final Report Today on Accelerating Use and Adoption of Broadband
Earlier today, the US Broadband Coalition released its final report titled
“Expanding and Accelerating the Adoption & Use of Broadband Throughout the Economy.” The report was released at an
event at the Federal Communications Commission building and is available here. The report makes a series of policy recommendations for the FCC as the Commission
develops a National Broadband Plan that will be delivered to Congress in
February 2010. The recommendations seek to promote inclusion,
integration, interoperability, investment, and innovation. The recommendations “focus both on the broadband infrastructure and on the
applications and adoption issues that create value from that
infrastructure.” The five areas addressed in the report are (1) “bridging
the digital divide,” (2) “addressing the broadband adoption gap for people with
disabilities,” (3) “increasing the intensity of broadband use in core sectors
of our economy,” (4) “raising the bar on skills and ease of use,” and (5)
“accelerating innovation.” At the event, led by U.S. Broadband Coalition President Jim Baller,
panelists discussed adoption and use policy options related to digital
inclusion, making broadband more accessible to persons with disabilities,
economic development, education, energy issues, healthcare, public safety, and
civic engagement. Blair Levin and Brian David , both of the FCC, each spoke and
discussed the upcoming National Broadband Plan. Mr. Levin stressed the
need for more data on the cost of digital exclusion and the importance of
drafting a plan that has a life beyond its February delivery to Congress.
Mr. David discussed the tentative layout of the plan. It will
likely be divided by what entity can best address certain issues (i.e. the FCC,
other agencies, Congress, the private sector, etc.) and will prioritize recommendations.
Some possible recommendations that could be included are a national digital
literacy corps, a focus on public-private partnerships, updating accessibility
laws, and a “national help desk.” The Broadband Task Force is expected to present an update to the Commissioners
at the FCC’s next open meeting that will be held next Wednesday, November 18th.