National Broadband Policy

In a letter delivered this week, EDUCAUSE and several other groups have asked that Congress pass the Broadband Data Improvement Act and the Broadband Census of America Act before the 110th Congress ends. The groups say this legislation "would improve information-gathering about current broadband deployment and assist in targeting resources to areas in need of such services." Learn more, and access a related press release regarding EDUCAUSE’s proposed new approach to making high-speed Internet services available across the country.

In a letter that was delivered yesterday, EDUCAUSE and several other groups have asked that Congress pass S. 1492, the Broadband Data Improvement Act, and H.R. 3919, the Broadband Census of America Act, before the 110th Congress ends.  The groups say this legislation "would improve information-gathering about current broadband deployment and assist in targeting resources to areas in need of such services."  The letter was sent to leadership offices in the House and Senate, as well as members of both the House Energy and Commerce and Senate Commerce Committees. The letter specifically says that a national broadband policy could have "dramatic and far-reaching economic impacts."

Currently, S. 1492 and H.R. 3919 are awaiting consideration in the Senate.  H.R. 3919 previously passed the House on November 13, 2007. 

EDUCAUSE President Diana G. Oblinger recently spoke in Washington, D.C., at the New America Foundation–hosted event, Broadband Revolution, about the pressing need for a national broadband policy. Read more about the event and Oblinger’s speech, and access a related press release regarding EDUCAUSE’s proposed new approach to making high-speed Internet services available across the country.

In efforts to support a "fast, affordable and open" Internet, EDUCAUSE recently joined forces in creating and promoting InternetforEveryone.org. This coalition, which consists of public interest organizations, industry groups, and concerned citizens, is devoted to the notion that citizens should have access to an open Internet. The official launch date for the campaign was June 24.

The U.S. Conference of Mayors, which is holding its 76th annual meeting in Miami, voted yesterday in favor of a resolution calling for a national broadband policy. The resolution is as follows:

Today EDUCAUSE President Diana Oblinger spoke about the pressing need for a national broadband policy at an event hosted by the New America Foundation (NAF). Held in the Senate Hart Building in Washington, DC, the event also featured FCC commissioners Michael Copps and Jonathan Adelstein, e-NC Authority Executive Director Jane Smith Patterson, Jim Baller of the Baller Herbst Law Group, and Michael Calabrese, the Vice President of the Wireless Future Program at the NAF. This event, which was titled Broadband Revolution, was the first in a series on national broadband policy being sponsored by NAF.

"In the same way that railroads, highways, electricity and telephones grew our economy and benefited our society, broadband is the infrastructure that will take us into the next century," said Oblinger. "We can either sit on the sidelines or we can get it done, and I think it is about time."

This podcast features a speech by John Windhausen Jr., President of Telepoly. The speech, "A Blueprint for Big Broadband: Moving from Why to How," was recorded at the EDUCAUSE 2008 Policy Conference in Arlington, Virginia. You can also read John Windhausen Jr.'s EDUCAUSE white paper, A Blueprint for Big Broadband.

The United States has fallen behind its international competitors in broadband deployment, price, and openness in part because it has no national broadband policy. In contrast, most other countries adopted proactive programs to address the broadband needs of their citizens at the beginning of the decade that are now proving successful. Several U.S. states are now developing their own broadband plans because of the void at the national level. This session proposes an action plan for the nation based on the lessons learned from Europe, Asia, and some U.S. states and discusses what it will take to get such a plan through Congress.

EDUCAUSE Now is a monthly podcast focusing on the intelligent use of information technology in higher education. Each episode features a variety of stories, interviews, and views that relate to IT in higher education.

This episode of EDUCAUSE Now features:

• The EDUCAUSE 2008 Current Issues Survey

  We hear from Current Issues Committee Chair Debra Allison and EDUCAUSE staff liasion Peter DeBlois. The Current Issues Survey resource page is now available.

• A Commentary from EDUCAUSE President Diana Oblinger

  EDUCAUSE President Diana Oblinger talks about current issues facing higher education and how IT can be a solution, even for non-technical challenges.

The May/June 2008 EDUCAUSE Review is now available online. It features Brad Wheeler on the need for providing answers that are good enough and quick enough in the Era of Certitude; John Windhausen Jr. on the demand for "big broadband" connectivity in the United States; a summary of the 2008 EDUCAUSE Current Issues Survey findings; and Chris Dede on Web 2.0 and the seismic shift in epistemology. 

Welcome to the premiere episode of EDUCAUSE Now!

EDUCAUSE Now is a monthly podcast, focusing on the intelligent use of information technology in higher education. Each episode features a variety of stories, interviews, and views that relate to IT in higher education. EDUCAUSE Now will also inform you about upcoming events, report on past events, and feature the movers and shakers in policy, teaching and learning, security, and a whole host of other important topics for our members. Let us know what you would like to hear at podcast@educause.edu.

This episode of EDUCAUSE Now features: