What’s the big deal about broadband?

by Jaqueta Abbey


So what is the big deal about broadband? The word is being flung around all over the place these days, and now the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has even created a National Broadband Plan.

The term “broadband Internet” is normally used as a synonym for “high-speed connection.” The number of Americans who have broadband at home has grown from eight million in the year 2000 to nearly 200 million as of last year. Approximately 100 million Americans do not have broadband at home.

Why is broadband important?

• Health Care – Broadband can help improve the quality and lower the cost of health care through health IT and improved data capture and use. This would enable clearer understanding of the most effective treatments and processes.
• Education – Broadband can enable improvements through e-learning and online content, providing more personalized learning opportunities for students. Broadband will also help facilitate the flow of information between parents, teachers, schools, and other organizations.
• Energy & the Environment – Broadband can help lead to a transition toward a clean energy economy. Carbon pollution could be reduced, energy efficiency could be improved, and we could lessen our dependency on foreign oil.
• Economic Opportunity – There can be expanded access to jobs and training, as well as more support for entrepreneurship and growth of small businesses.
• Government Performance & Civic Engagement – Broadband can drive greater efficiency and effectiveness in delivery of services and internal operations. It can also improve the quality and quantity of civic engagement by providing a platform where representatives and agencies can engage.
• Public Safety & Homeland Security – Efforts to improve public safety and homeland security can be bolstered by allowing first responders to send and receive video and data. This will ensure that all Americans can access emergency services, and will improve the way Americans are notified about emergencies.

Ways the government can influence the broadband system
The FCC has established four ways the government can influence the broadband system. To read about them in detail, visit the link to the entire report at the end of this article.

1. Establishing competition policies that will foster robust competition across the board.
2. Ensuring efficient allocation and use of government-owned and government-influenced assets (i.e. working on repurposing the spectrum and making the new infrastructure efficient).
   
3. Creating incentives for universal availability and adoption of broadband.
4. Updating policies, setting standards and aligning incentives to maximize use for national priorities.
   

Implementation
The plan is said to be currently and always in a beta stage. Just like the Internet, the plan will always be changing to adjust to new developments in technologies and markets, as well as evolving and working to overcome any obstacles that may arise or harnessing future unrealized opportunities.

How much is this going to cost?
Due to the fact that one of the plan’s goals is to free up 500 megahertz of spectrum, future wireless auctions mean the plan will overall be revenue neutral, if not revenue positive. Most of the plan’s recommendations do not require new government funding because they aim to drive improvement in government efficiency, streamline processes, and encourage private activity to promote consumer welfare and national priorities.

Long-term goals

1. At least 100 million U.S. homes should have affordable access to actual download speeds of at least 100 megabits/sec and actual upload speeds of at least 50 megabits/sec.
2. The United States should lead the world in mobile innovation, with the fastest and most extensive wireless networks of any nation.
3. Every American should have affordable access to robust broadband service, and the means and skills to subscribe if they so choose.
4. Every American should have affordable access to at least 1 gigabit/sec broadband service to anchor institutions like schools, hospitals, and government buildings.
5. To ensure the safety of the American people, every first responder should have access to a nationwide, wireless, interoperable broadband public safety network.
6. To ensure that America leads in the clean energy economy, every American should be able to use broadband to track and manage their real-time energy consumption.
   

If you would like to read the entire National Broadband Plan or learn more about it, click here. I leave you with this quote from CEO and Knight Foundation President Alberto Ibargüen:

“Broadband access for all is essential to meeting the information needs of communities in a democracy. Without it, we’ll end up with a new category of second-class citizens. With it, everyone will be able to harness the social and economic opportunities of the digital age.”