Broadband for America

Broadband access and adoption projects continue to be announced across all fifty states as part of the national broadband stimulus designed to expand high-speed Internet into every American home and business. Here is a look at some of the recent projects getting underway:

Illinois: Gov. Pat Quinn announced the state has received $250 million in broadband stimulus funds, along with $50 million in state matching funds. Four statewide broadband expansion projects have already been announced, which will create 600 jobs and connect 1,000 community institutions, including schools and hospitals. Read more here.

Missouri: The Big River Telephone company is finalizing a $24 million dollar project to expand broadband access across the state, while already moving forward on a similar project expanding wireless broadband across seven counties. The project will create 1,300 jobs in the state, with Big River Telephone expanding its own staff by 75.

Perry County Economic Development Director Larry Tucker praised the announcement, saying it would make broadband prices more competitive and open up new business opportunities in the state. "As with any business service or product, when options are available to the customer, prices typically become more competitive and attractive," he said. The project is expected to reach 90 percent of residents in the seven counties upon completion. Read more about the project here.

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The world of technology was dominated yesterday by news of the new Apple TV and the company’s new social network, Ping. The previous version of Apple TV had not been a major success, but Apple’s Steve Jobs said he learned that high-speed Internet has created the platform to deliver a better product. From The Hill:

“Jobs said Apple has learned many lessons from the debut of Apple TV in 2006, admitting that thus far the device has been a hobby and not a hit. He said consumers want Hollywood movies and TV shows in HD and on demand, with lower prices and maximum ease of use. “

While Broadband for America does not endorse any particular commercial product, we do think this announcement is another example of how broadband is powering new technologies that are faster, less expensive and offer more services than their earlier counterparts. It’s also further proof that broadband powered products are helping to power a still recovering economy. Read more about the announcement here.

The FCC has established an office of Native Affairs and Policy to help expand broadband access and adoption in tribal areas. The FCC says it plans to work with federally designated tribes to “develop and advance an agenda aimed at bringing the benefits of a modern communications infrastructure to all Native communities”.

“Tribal lands and Native communities suffer unacceptably low levels of communications services, especially broadband,” said FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski. “Increasing connectivity in Native America is one of the FCC’s top priorities. With this new office, the Commission will work closely with Native leaders to develop and implement policies that ensure their communities enjoy the benefits of 21^st Century communications infrastructure.”  

Read more about the announcement here.

Debra Berlyn, president of Consumer Policy Solutions and director of the Consumer Awareness Project, has a new op-ed in today’s Daily Caller on broadband regulation. Berlyn argues that a growing consensus of industry leaders, Members of Congress and public interest organizations are all in agreement that the FCC’s plan for increased broadband regulation is bad for the country. Some highlights:

“In order to fully realize the benefits of the National Broadband Plan and ensure that the proposed rules do not impinge upon consumer well-being, it is important to allow Congress to take a legislative approach to the issue of broadband classification and regulation.  In the past three months we have seen a bipartisan majority of legislators vigorously assert their belief that Congress, rather than the FCC, is best suited to address any significant proposed change to the Communications Act.  All told, almost 300 legislators have weighed in and called for the FCC to stand down and allow Congress to create a framework for the future of broadband Internet regulations.”

“As an advocate for consumers on this matter, I have listened to the voices of minority organizations, labor unions, disability rights advocates, women’s groups, senior advocacy groups, rural and farming voices, suppliers, manufacturers, thought leaders on health care and others.  They’re all saying the same thing: a quick-fix regulation of broadband services by the FCC isn’t the best approach.  Let Congress handle it.”

Read the full op-ed here.

Mobile Future Chairman Jonathan Spalter has an op-ed in today’s edition of Roll Call on the debate over net neutrality. Spalter says that while the broadband industry and members of Congress see the risks of Internet reclassification, there is concern that FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski will ignore the facts to pursue his own “third way” on increased regulation. Spalter writes:

“But for many consumers and technology innovators, as well as for many on both sides of the aisle in Congress, Genachowski’s Third Way is a nonstarter. The concern, which is deeply felt by many in America’s innovation industries and by the capital and debt markets that support them, is that by resorting to an old-style ‘my way or the highway’ form of regulation, the FCC risks taking America’s innovation economy back to the bad old days of heavy-handed big government, an approach that has proved time and again to be a significant buzzkill for investment and innovation. This is exactly the wrong time, they say, for the FCC to impose a potentially stifling regulatory agenda on a communications marketplace that has been one of the few lasting economic success stories of the past several years, despite the recession, and is poised for a new era of even more growth. However, this growth won’t happen on its own and will require hundreds of billions of dollars in new private-sector investment and risk-taking in order to succeed.”

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The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology has announced the first two companies approved to authorize the testing and certification of electronic health records. The Drummond Group and the Certification Commission for Health IT will now work with electronic medical record vendors to certify their products and implement new meaningful use rules.

“We are pleased to offer over ten years of software testing and certification experience in other industries to healthcare, “ Rik Drummond said in a statement. “After executing several pilots on existing EHR products and working with industry consultants, our organization is more than prepared to test and certify healthcare products.”

Read more about the announcement here.

The National Journal takes a look at the new Digital Learning Council, which was launched by former Governors Bob Wise and Jeb Bush:

"Advances in technology open the door to myriad new ways of delivering and personalizing education. The recently launched Digital Learning Council and other groups are working to translate powerful ideas about technology and education to powerful results in the classroom. A minority of schools, such as School of One, are already taking advantage of technology to provide innovative instruction models."

"Still, many obstacles remain to bringing the potential of education technology to scale, including access and professional knowhow."

Read more from the National Journal here and read Broadband for America’s coverage of the Digital Learning Council here. And click here to read more about the benefits of broadband in education.

As broadband stimulus funds continue to make their way to all 50 states, we’ve been bringing you a closer look at some of those public-private partnerships getting underway. Here are some of the most recent broadband expansion projects being announced:

California: The state has received a $46.6 million dollar grant to expand broadband access in the San Joaquin Valley. The project will deploy 1,371 miles of fiber, bringing broadband access to 1.5 million homes and 1.6 million businesses. "I am pleased to see these funds being directed to the San Joaquin Valley," said Rep. Dennis Cardoza. "Improving our broadband infrastructure will not only provide a better future for the next generation but ensures we remain economically competitive. This investment in our businesses and our students will serve us well in the coming years." Read more about the project here.

Florida: The Florida Rural Broadband Alliance has been awarded $24 million to expand broadband access across eight rural counties. "We are going to change the way economic development is done in rural communities forever," said Rick Marcum, executive director of Opportunity Florida. Read more about the project here.

Indiana: The Tri-County Telephone Company has been awarded $593,273 in federal funds, along with $200,000 in matching private funds, to expand rural broadband access. Read more about the project here.

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Wisconsin announced that it has begun working toward creating at statewide Health IT network. The state’s Department of Health Services filed plans last Friday with the federal government to create an electronic network for exchanging health information, allowing Wisconsin to qualify for $9.4 million in grants.

"Wisconsin is first in the nation in health care quality, and a secure, statewide electronic health information exchange will support jobs in our health technology industry and take our great health care system to the next level," Gov. Jim Doyle said in the release from DHS.

Private health care providers will receive an additional $500 to $800 million to upgrade their equipment and record systems to meet the new standards. Read more about the plan here.

A new study from the Pew Internet & American Life Project finds that social media usage is booming amongst Americans aged 50-64. According to the study, 47 percent of older Americans are now using broadband to connect with friends, family and associates. That’s an increase of 88 percent over last year alone, when only 25 percent were using social networking sites like Facebook.

“Young adults continue to be the heaviest users of social media, but their growth pales in comparison with recent gains made by older users,” says Mary Madden, a Pew researcher and the author of the report. “Email is still the primary way that older users maintain contact with friends, families and colleagues, but many older users now rely on social network platforms to help manage their daily communications.

There was even bigger growth amongst those 65 and older, although overall numbers remain relatively small. 26 percent of seniors are now using social media, compared to just 13 percent last year.

Read more from The Hill here, and read the full Pew study here.