Broadband Technology

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 will propose an action plan for the nation based on the lessons learned from Europe, Asia, and some U.S. states and discuss what it will take to get such a plan through Congress.

A graphic description, in pamphlet form, describing broadband technologies and uses and the bandwidth required for each, plus a depiction of the “All-Internet Household” and how a family might use 100 Mbps.

This is a speech given by Michael K. Powell, when he was Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, at the Silicon Flatirons Symposium on "The Digital Broadband Migration: Toward a Regulatory Regime for the Internet Age." University of Colorado School of Law, Boulder, Colorado, February 8, 2004.

The economic and social future of the United States depends on answering the growing demand for very high-speed broadband connectivity, a capability termed “big broadband.” Failure to take on the challenge could lead to a decline in global competitiveness and an inability to educate students.

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 states are now developing their own broadband plans because of the void at the national level. This session will propose an action plan for the nation based on the lessons learned from Europe, Asia, and some U.S. states. The broadband blueprint is intended to stimulate investment in big broadband networks while advancing the kind of competition and openness that has been shown to serve the needs of consumers and Internet entrepreneurs.

The annual Horizon Report, a joint publication of the NMC and the ELI, highlights new technologies for teaching, learning, and creative expression. This session will review the research and process behind the report. The 2008 Horizon Report and its findings will be officially released at this session.

This report proposes bringing the federal government, state governments, and the private sector together as part of a new approach to making high-speed Internet services available across the country. The report also contains a detailed analysis of broadband deployment in the United States and in key countries around the world.