CHALLENGE
As
reflected in the Call to Action for a National Broadband Strategy (relevant portions copied below), all members of the US
Broadband Coalition agreed that the United States urgently needs a comprehensive national broadband strategy.
The mission of the Working Group on the Need for a National Broadband Strategy was to provide a compelling explanation
of why this is so.
KEY
OBJECTIVES
· Summarize current and future benefits of robust
broadband connections to the Internet. The
Working Group on Need should identify these benefits drawing upon resources from both the United States and other nations.
Specific areas may include economic benefits (jobs and multiplier effects; increased global competitiveness, etc.); environmental
benefits (such as reduced travel); energy (smart grids); health (electronic records, reduced travel, increased access to providers;
education (digital literacy, long distance learning); democracy (eGovernment).Benefits should be quantified whenever possible.
·
Articulate clearly
and forcefully why a comprehensive NBS is necessary to reap these benefits to the maximum extent possible.
·
Serve as a resource
for other Working Groups.
· Prepare for and participate in the Coalition’s event to be
held in the Spring or early Summer of 2009, including designating speakers to present the report of the Group.
·
Assist the Coordinating
and Conference Committees in planning the Spring Event, including designating speakers to present the report of the Working
Group on the Need for an National Broadband Strategy
MEMBERSHIP
Co-Chairs:
Jeff
Campbell (Cisco) and Jonathan Rintels (Center for Creative Voices in the Media)
Coordinating
Committee Liaison:
Casey Lide (Baller Herbst Law Group)
Members:
Sheryl
Abshire (Consortium for School Networking)
Garn Anderson (Knight Center
of Digital Excellence)
Pete Ashdown (XMission Internet)
Carolyn Brandon (CTIA)
David
Chaffee (Chaffee Fiber Optics)
Danielle Coffey (TIA)
John
Eger (San Diego State Univ. Int'l Center for Communications/
World Foundation for Smart Communities)
Bruce Hahn (American Homeowners
Alliance)
Jason Friedrich (Motorola)
Kevin
Krufky (Alcatel-Lucent)
Greg Landeman (Rural Telecommunications Congress)
Steve
Pastorkovich (OPASTCO)
Eric Peterson (Rural Cellular Alliance)
Otha
Rice (Rice Group)
RELEVANT PORTIONS OF
THE US BROADBAND COALITION’S CALL TO ACTION FOR A NATIONAL BROADBAND STRATEGY
Advanced
Communications Capabilities are Essential for the 21st Century
The
broadband-enabled Internet is rapidly changing the world. It has become a catalyst for innovation, economic
growth, job creation, educational opportunity and global competitiveness. It enhances public safety, homeland
security, health care, energy efficiency, environmental sustainability and the worldwide distribution of millions of products,
processes and services. It aids in revitalizing depressed urban and rural economies and addressing the
special needs of senior citizens, individuals with disabilities, and young people. It creates a vehicle
for enhancing the level of civic participation and discourse so important to a functioning democracy. Yet
broadband as an enabling technology is still growing out of its infancy. It has unlimited potential that
remains to be fully realized.
The United States
Urgently Needs a Comprehensive National Broadband Strategy
The
United States is at a critical juncture. Too many Americans still do not have access to affordable broadband
or lack the equipment or knowledge to use it effectively. If the United States is to remain a leader in
the global economy, our broadband networks must also be robust enough to enable our people, businesses, and public and private
institutions to take full advantage of emerging and future bandwidth-intensive and quality-sensitive applications.
…
