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Connecting America: FCC Releases National Broadband Plan
Today, the Federal Communications Commission sent its National Broadband Plan to Congress. The 376-page document outlines a national broadband imperative to get America connected, including goals to ensure every American has affordable access and a 90 percent adoption rate by 2020.
Over the past year, Connected Nation has offered rich data and insights in support of the FCC’s effort to develop an informed national broadband policy. Connected Nation’s comments are based on nearly 10 years of experience working with hundreds of communities in 30 states and territories to address the challenges of expanding broadband to all citizens, particularly those who are currently unconnected. These filings are accessible on Connected Nation’s FCC filings webpage.
Read the National Broadband Plan here: www.broadband.gov/plan/
Download Connected Nation’s NBP Summary Filing
Tell us what you think about the plan
Follow the conversation on Twitter - #bbplan Labels: FCC, national broadband plan
Connected Nation Applauds FCC Recommendations for Broadband Adoption
 Members of the FCC's Omnibus Broadband Initiative including, (L to R) Blair Levin, Executive Director; Brian David, Program Director; and Elise Kohn, Adoption Director address questions during Tuesday’s Digital Inclusion Summit.
Connected Nation welcomes the FCC’s agenda for driving broadband adoption, particularly among certain vulnerable demographics such as the elderly, low-income Americans, adults with disabilities, minority citizens, and those residing in rural areas. We know broadband has the power to transform lives, yet millions of Americans remain unconnected. Today’s Digital Inclusion Summit marks an important step leading up to the release of the National Broadband Plan – to call attention to this imperative for our nation’s prosperity.
The Federal Communications Commission identified, in the 2009 Broadband Service Capability Survey, a significant factor in the digital inclusion equation – that non-adopters face multiple barriers to adoption. Cost relief works effectively for many non-adopters, but only when accompanied by training programs to bolster their digital skills and information about content that is relevant to their lives.
Connected Nation has proactively addressed this need by designing programs to help vulnerable populations overcome top barriers to adoption – broadband awareness and training, computer ownership, and subscription affordability.
The FCC underscores the importance of public-private partnerships to increase broadband use at the local level. We strongly agree. Through public-private partnerships, Connected Nation has completed eight comprehensive statewide broadband maps and launched development of 13 more, while donating over 6,000 computers to schools, libraries, and community centers and formed local technology teams in more than 300 counties.
 "The Federal government can’t do this alone. We need to work in partnership with nonprofits and private industry," HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan said during Tuesday’s Digital Inclusion Summit.
During today’s Digital Inclusion Summit, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Shaun Donovan stressed the importance of dedicating resources to helping equip low-income communities with technology.
“You and I both know the barriers that face low income households – from the cost of buying computers to how much it costs for monthly internet service. Federally-assisted housing offers a platform to reduce these barriers through local outreach and training that educates people on specific ways that technology can improve their lives, and on how to use it. Through digital literacy training to get people comfortable with technology. And through workforce development and financial literacy training so that they can get the most out of it,” Donovan said during the summit. “The Federal government can’t do this alone. We need to work in partnership with nonprofits and private industry.”
Connected Nation, through its ConnectKentucky program, will soon establish such a project. In April, ConnectKentucky will use a Kentucky Housing Corp. grant to provide low-income residents with computers and training in the redeveloped Equestrian View neighborhood of Lexington’s East End. Lexmark is donating printers.
By establishing such a program, Equestrian View residents will be provided with the opportunity to explore the world outside of their immediate community. The benefits — from educational to economical — are tremendous and we are encouraged the FCC’s national broadband plan addresses the importance of these programs.
“We applaud the FCC’s efforts to positively impact the digital inclusion imperative in the National Broadband Plan and we will continue to collaborate with members of the nonprofit sector and the ICT industry to reduce the barriers to broadband adoption. We proudly join our partners on a letter to FCC Chairman Genachowski expressing our support for the broadband adoption recommendations proposed today,” said Brian R. Mefford, Connected Nation’s chief executive officer.
Labels: FCC, national broadband plan
Connected Nation Welcomes the Federal Communications Commission’s Release of Form 477 Broadband Subscriber Data.
On February 12, the FCC released data on national broadband trends based on the reformed Form 477 data collected from all broadband providers in the United States. This data dates back to 2008. The 2008 reform of Form 477 addressed deficiencies in earlier provider reporting requirements and aims to help better equip national broadband public policy work.
Key changes in the reporting requirements include reporting the number of broadband subscribers by Census Tract rather than by ZIP Code. In addition, broadband subscriber data is now reported by different tiers of download speeds.
Connected Nation believes these reforms will help better inform national and state broadband public policy and welcomes the release of this report.
As a mapping agent under the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s State Broadband Data and Development grant program, Connected Nation is currently working to complete broadband mapping and planning initiatives in 12 states and one U.S. territory. This new FCC Form 477 data will help guide our work. However, we will continue to work with the provider community to meet the more comprehensive and granular NTIA broadband data reporting requirements.
To learn more about the Form 477 data, click here. Labels: Form 477 data, NTIA
Confronting the Broadband Adoption Challenge – How do We Fix it?
How do you boost broadband adoption? That was the subject of a webinar hosted by Intel and other industry leaders to stress the importance of tackling the key barriers to broadband adoption. Connected Nation Chief Executive Officer Brian Mefford served as one of the panelists in the discussion with other broadband researchers and technology leaders.
Mefford was joined by Michael Santorelli, director of the Advanced Communications Law & Policy Institute; Aaron Smith from the Pew Internet & American Life Project; Eric Greenman, manager of Service Provider Marketing at Intel Americas; and Bill Wallace from DigitalBridge Communications. The webinar was hosted by w2i.com.
There was a common theme among the findings and experiences of the group, most notably: populations, particularly those that are older, have less education, or lower income, continue to lag behind in broadband adoption.
However, all parties agreed that simply providing affordable broadband service to an area or particular group of people does not mean that adoption rates will instantly rise.
Coupling affordable high-speed Internet with digital literacy programs, like computer classes, and community involvement and technology planning programs have the most significant impact on broadband adoption rates, they said.
At Connected Nation, the efforts to address the issues of broadband adoption are two-fold, Mefford said. The first is to identify the reasons that people do not use broadband. The second is to address those issues at a community level.
“It’s not just about identifying the common barriers at a macro level,” he said. “We must drill down further to the local level and understand particular communities’ nuances. By doing so, we are able to bring forward and execute the most relevant and high-impact solutions to broadband adoption barriers.”
Already, Connected Nation has designed or started such community-specific programs. Connected Nation, along with Intel and other technology companies, have proposed a program called Every Citizen Online (SM), which will work with local communities to provide affordable broadband service, along with digital literacy training and a personal computer.
In addition, Connected Nation’s work through its state-based initiative, Connected Tennessee, has seen the fruits of such local-level collaboration.
In Tennessee, work to provide expanded access to and use of broadband has seen significant success. Since Connected Tennessee’s 2007 inception, more than 250,000 Tennesseans have gained access to broadband.
In addition, Connected Tennessee has donated more than 2,000 computers to children, families, and communities through its Computers 4 Kids program. One such donation, to the Saint John Baptist Church After-School Program in Stanton, stands out.
Click here to view a video about the impact of the C4K donation and the importance of community involvement in combating broadband adoption barriers.
Overall, the key to widespread adoption and use of high-speed Internet is a group effort — from community leaders to local business to technology providers.
To learn more about the work of Connected Nation and its partners, visit www.connectednation.org. Labels: Brian Mefford, Connected Tennessee, every citizen online, Intel
VIDEO: Connected Nation and ESRI Talk with NextGenWeb about BroadbandStat
Phillip Brown, Director of Government Affairs & Advocacy at Connected Nation, and Randy Frantz of ESRI, spoke with NextGenWeb on Tuesday, prior to the Internet Caucus Advisory Committee’s 6th Annual State of the Net Conference in Washington, D.C.
Check out NextGenWeb for more.Labels: BroadbandStat, ESRI, ICAC, Philip Brown, SOTN
Connected Nation Previews Interactive Broadband Mapping Tool at Technology Policy Exhibition in Washington, D.C.
Andy Blair from George Washington University asks Connected Tennessee’s Michael Ramage for more detail about interactive broadband coverage maps while Sabrina Matteson, a representative from the American Farm Bureau Federation, observes the presentation.
Connected Nation, in conjunction with ESRI, a market leader in geographic information system (GIS) software, showcased its jointly developed new interactive mapping tool for viewing, analyzing, and validating broadband data at a technology policy exhibition on Capitol Hill.
At Tuesday’s technology policy kickoff reception, more than 100 people had the chance to view Connected Nation and ESRI’s BroadbandStat demonstration. Michael Ramage, Executive Director of Connected Tennessee, continued showcasing the technology well after the official end of the event.
 Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) welcomes attendees to the Congressional Internet Caucus Kickoff Reception and Technology Policy Exhibition.
Jon Gant, a professor at the University of Illinois at Champaign, stopped by to view the BroadbandStat demonstration on Tuesday.
Gant, who teaches GIS classes and has used GIS data from more than 20 years, was impressed by the easy, user-friendly interface of BroadbandStat.
“Look at how smooth the graphics transition from query to query,” he said, pointing to the screen of BroadbandStat. “And, the small things—like the menus—they are a lot better this way.”
“This [GIS data] is really complicated stuff,” he said Tuesday after viewing BroadbandStat. “And, how you all use and represent this complicated data with this kind of interface is really interesting,” he said.
Jim Geringer, director of Policy and Public Sector Strategies at ESRI and former governor of Wyoming, was on hand on Tuesday, prior to his participation in Wednesday’s panel discussion, “Transforming Government Through Technology: The Real, The Possible, The Surprising.”
“The common underpinning of all activities—economic, social or health—is people connecting with other people and that activity doesn’t happen without broadband,” he said. “You will never understand how much information is in the world until you can connect with broadband. Broadband mapping—or showing who is connecting and who is not—is just the first step.” The Technology Policy Exhibition is a free, educational event that briefs lawmakers and staff, reporters, and representatives from government agencies and private sector organizations on cutting-edge Internet technologies. It is the largest technology exhibition on Capitol Hill. Yesterday’s event served as the official kickoff of today’s 6th Annual State of the Net Conference, hosted by ICAC at the Hyatt Regency, Capitol Hill.
MMTC Hosts its Inaugural Broadband and Social Justice Summit
 Summit moderator Tyrone Brown solicits more details from Jane Cabarrus, President of the Northhampton County Branch of the NAACP in Weirwood, Virginia, an area currently without a broadband infrastructure in place.
Click here to view more photos
Federal administrators, corporate leaders, civil rights veterans, and influential policy bloggers brought their diverse viewpoints to the roundtable discussions at the Minority Media and Telecommunications Council (MMTC) Broadband and Social Justice Summit at Howard University in Washington, D.C. on January 22.
Former Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Commissioner Tyrone Brown guided the dialogue as the participants brainstormed the barriers to broadband participation for minority communities and the civil rights implications of digital disengagement.
“Could you envision e-mailing or Skypeing yourself?” The question of perceived usefulness was posed by FCC Broadband Initiative Director Blair Levin as he discussed the impact of broadband on jobs, healthcare, and politics. “Unless the communities you care about are online, broadband loses its relevancy,” Levin said to accentuate a social infrastructure factor impeding adoption — that the Internet is a “team sport” with a strong networking component.
In examining broadband imperatives, the concept of shifting the viewpoint to that of the non-adopter came under examination.
FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn called it “The Challenge of the Last Half Mile — the distance between each individual who has yet to integrate broadband into their lives and the physical infrastructure lying right outside of their doors.”
Beyond the adoption issue, Commissioner Clyburn posed two questions for consideration:
- How do we ensure that all communities take advantage of this emerging economic force?
- How can we ensure that the barriers remain low in order to prevent another communications model that has people of color once again on the outside looking in?
Summit participants had the opportunity to express opinions, concerns, and policy suggestions in three vigorous roundtable discussions on topics including Broadband Literacy, Broadcasting and Journalism in the Broadband World, and Closing the Digital Divide.
Larry Strickling, Assistant Secretary of Commerce and Director of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), informed the audience that NTIA has been directed by Congress to focus on adoption issues in order to: - Get more people to use broadband.
- Find ways to make broadband more available and more affordable.
- Create more computer training programs.
Secretary Strickling provided insight on the selection priorities during the next round of Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) funding, including: - Focusing on projects in communities where the before and after effects can be clearly measured.
- Public computer center projects, particularly where people can receive computer training.
- Comprehensive infrastructure projects including creating high-speed facilities and connecting community anchors.
- Promoting projects that involve socially disadvantaged businesses.
Strickling also invited all to attend the series of workshops around the country jointly organized by the NTIA and the Department of Agriculture to provide application processing assistance to this target audience.
MMTC, a Connected Nation partner, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting and preserving equal opportunity and civil rights in the mass media and telecommunications industries. MMTC is generally recognized as the nation's leading advocate for minority advancement in communications.
Raquel Noriega, Director of Policy Development at Connected Nation, addressed the group about one of Connected Nation’s community initiatives called Every Citizen Online (SM).
Every Citizen Online proposes a public-private partnership that brings together broadband service providers, personal computer equipment manufacturers, and companies such as Intel to deliver a program that targets low-income segments of the population with an affordable personal computer, discounted monthly broadband service and the appropriate level of follow on education and support.
Intel, Dell, Lenovo, Fujitsu, Velocity Micro, and ZT Systems are among the private sector partners joining in the initiative.
Every Citizen Online aims to help vulnerable populations overcome top barriers to adoption, including broadband awareness and training, computer ownership, and subscription affordability.
“The focus of the summit was very much consistent with our goals and mission and we applaud MMTC for creating this important public forum to encourage more people to use broadband-enabled applications,” Noriega said.
Related information:
Blog Post: Broadband and Social Justice Summit Underway in Washington, D.C. Labels: Minority Media and Telecommunications Council
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