Topic: Advocacy

The Democratic National Convention started this week in Denver, while the Republican National Convention kicks off next week in Minneapolis. The media maelstrom surrounding these two events will be rife with campaign posturing, while the barrage of political advertisements continue to reign our TVs.

These waning summer months of a presidential election year bring the promise of a new White House administration in January, which will also bring a change in public policy. The broadband industry sure could use it. The United States has consistently been ranked in the middle of the pack, globally, when it comes to broadband deployment penetration. New blood at the helm could spark new innovations to boost the broadband market. Or this country will be stuck with more of the same.

We have been talking here about the prospect of a national broadband policy as a means put more emphasis on deploying high-tech and high-speed communications networks. However, will such a policy hamper this rapidly changing market?

Some industry experts have urged the government to make changes to slacken regulations on broadband, like Verizon’s Dick Lynch, who says, “The public interest can best be served by getting as much broadband in front of as many people as possible, as quickly as possible and ensuring that investment keeps up with demand. To a large extent, this is a matter of taking down the barriers to investment and refraining from erecting new ones.”

Speaking at a recent meeting of the Progress and Freedom Foundation, the Verizon executive vice president and chief technology officer adds, “Dynamic industries like ours require flexible solutions that can evolve and adapt to a changing environment — not rigid regulatory solutions that are one step behind the marketplace.”

Others, like John Cooper, president of the consulting firm MetroNetIQ and a frequent commenter on this blog, say that citizens and public leaders must be proactive in the effort to deploy broadband to their communities. Instead of waiting for policymakers and private companies to make these decisions, Cooper says that public policy should come from the public.

“The first step is to accept that we’ll have to take matters into our own hands,” Cooper wrote, commenting on a July post. “When communities realize that they have inside their own boundaries all the skills, talents, resources and initiative they need to do this on their own, then they will be off and running.” The key to helping communities realize this, Cooper says, is education.

You can view the candidates' views on broadband (and technology in general) on their campaign Web sites. For the Democrat, go here. For the Republican, go here. Do you think either candidate will make a big difference in the broadband industry? Does one have a better policy, or will just the addition of fresh blood spark the market? Am I opening a can of worms?

In the effort to close and seal the Digital Divide in the United States, a new Internet advocacy group is pushing to provide world-class, high-speed Internet access to every home, business and civic institution. InternetForEveryone.org was established to make broadband a national priority and to empower the populace with the communications infrastructure that will "create good jobs, foster entrepreneurship, spread new ideas and serve as a leading engine of economic growth," the group's Web site explains.

InternetForEveryone.org hopes to put the United States back near the top of the broadband rankings instead of the dismal 15th. Providing everyone with broadband services would certainly up the penetration rate. The group's aim is to foist a national campaign on Congress to connect the country with quality and cheap broadband services.

The group wants you to have your cake and eat it too. To serve up this broadband cake, the group's Web site says that everyone must play their part.

"America's digital decline is a troubling problem that must be faced now. Putting America back on top and bringing open, high-quality, affordable Internet connections into every home will require a comprehensive and innovative approach. It will require input from federal, state and local governments, businesses large and small, nonprofit organizations and public advocates, civic groups, churches and schools. Everyone must play a role."

And, presumably, if we all play our part, we'll each get our just desserts. As Marie Antoinette most famously didn't say, "Let them eat cake." Perhaps with a piece of broadband cake, the American people can make a little bread and help pull the United States out of its current economic woes.

A national broadband policy would go a long way in closing the Digital Divide. But what is the first step in making such a policy a reality? And is it possible to have both high quality and low cost? Let us know what you think in the comments.