National Broadband Policy and Contributed by the EDUCAUSE Policy Office

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.

EDUCAUSE has once again joined a broad coalition of association, corporations and public interest groups encouraging Congress to pass legislation permitting local governments to build and deploy municipal broadband networks under the Community Broadband Act of 2007 (S.1853/HR3281).

This document is a reply to a comment filed by NBC Universal requesting that the FCC require that broadband providers “use readily available means to prevent the use of their broadband networks to transfer pirated content.” EDUCAUSE signed the document along with 10 other public interest organizations to express their concern for this inappropriate and misguided use of available bandwidth management tools.

In this brochure, EDUCAUSE and the Network Policy Council sets forth broadband policy goals that can form a basis for a comprehensive government, education and industry effort that moves America forward aggressively toward realizing the vision of a Broadband America and restoring our national and international leadership. Also included is a map of existing and planned higher education regional optical networks.

Presentation provided by Mike Roberts for the Net@EDU Broadband Policy Group's (BPG) Fall Forum. Roberts discussed the BPG's White Paper, "Broadband America: An Unrealized Vision", which provides a blueprint for the higher education community on promoting sound federal policies for affordable, ubiquitous broadband deployment while continuing to meet the public service needs.

This paper is the January 2003 revision.