A new research study reveals that many American households now consider broadband Internet access a necessity. Broadband at home, the study concludes, provides over $30 billion annually in benefits to consumers in the areas of education, health care, work, news, entertainment and civic affairs. Read More »
Texas Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples recently announced the creation of a state broadband task force that will bring broadband to rural parts of Texas. The task force will work with the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) and the Public Utility Committee (PUC) to maximize broadband penetration throughout the state. Read More »
We at the AAPD are glad to partner with Speed Matters to raise awareness about how broadband can improve the lives of disabled persons. The Speed Matters Benefits section enumerates the many ways in which broadband enables people with disabilities and can provide opportunities for independence. Currently, studies show that disabled people use the Internet only half as much as those without disabilities. In partnering with Speed Matters, we seek to ensure that broadband service is not only affordable, but also accessible and usable for all Americans - including those with disabilities. Read More »
Recently, the American Heart Association called for greater access to telemedicine in rural areas. Specifically, the AHA's policy statement called for tools like videoconferencing to be used to allow neurologists to examine stroke patients, who otherwise might not have access to the care they need. The AHA noted that not only do rural areas often not have the specialists that stroke patients need, but that they often receive care from emergency or primary care settings - where chances of the misdiagnosis are much higher. Read More »
As part of a "rural America tour" Vice President Joe Biden alongside Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, and FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski announced a plan to create a $4.7 billion loan and grant program to build the necessary infrastructure to expand broadband access to underserved areas. Earlier this month, Biden spoke at the CWA National Convention and cited the success of CWA's Speed Matters campaign. Read More »
The American Library Association issued a set of recommendations on how libraries across the country should maximize broadband capabilities. Their primary suggestion was that libraries should seek fiber optic technologies in their proposals for broadband stimulus funding. Read More »
CWA partnered with Connected Nation, the Alliance for Digital Equality, the American Farm Bureau Federation and the National Grange to host a webinar for state government and agency leaders about the Notice of Funding Availability for broadband stimulus funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). At the webinar, the participants learned the details of the grant process. Read More »
Newly confirmed FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski emphasized the importance of providing every American access to affordable high speed Internet connections at the first open Commission meeting of his term. The FCC will be developing a National Broadband Plan - as mandated in the broadband stimulus portion of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act - that must be delivered to Congress in February 2010. Read More »
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) released the rules for disbursement of the broadband stimulus funds. The rules affect three programs -- the Broadband Technology Opportunity Program, the RUS Broadband Initiatives Program and the State Broadband Data Development Program -- and will account for about $4 billion of the $7.2 billion allocated for broadband in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The rules defined three terms -- unserved, underserved and broadband -- which were an area of much debate in hearings held earlier this year. Read More »
The latest report from two leading broadband research organizations -- the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation and the Silicon Flatirons Center -- summarizes a discussion among leading broadband experts on institutional strategies to advance broadband policy goals. There was considerable agreement on the value of using targeted subsidies to provide ubiquitous broadband for a basic level of access, the need to ensure robust middle mile capability; and the potentially misleading nature of "peak" broadband speeds. The roundtable could not reach closure on how to evaluate the nature and extent of broadband competition and other issues. Read More »
