[1st-mile-nm] Why Broadband Matters?

[Richard Lowenberg]

>From the Benton Foundation:
http://tinyurl.com/5jpza4

Why Broadband Matters?
Charles Benton

The Senate Commerce Committee meets September 16 to hear testimony on the
consumer benefits of broadband service. The question of the day is Why
Broadband Matters? I could offer a long list of reasons why broadband matters,
but the list of reasons is too long to enumerate here because it is over 305
million names long.

Broadband matters for every American. Broadband matters...

For Families.  Broadband is changing the way families learn, communicate, play
and prepare for their future. Critically important information about health
care, scholarships, colleges, jobs, and community life such as driver's
licenses or registering to vote is increasingly on the Internet, and sometimes
only on the Internet.

For Consumers.  The Internet is already transforming the way we live, work, and
play. 31 billion emails are now sent each day. More than 12.4 million Americans
telecommute full-time, and already more than 14 million Americans have placed a
telephone call over the Internet. But the best is yet ahead.

For Rural Americans.  Nowhere is broadband opportunity as profound as it is in
rural America. In too many rural communities, because jobs have migrated to
urban areas, high school graduates often feel they have only two choices - go
away, or go nowhere. Broadband is the connection to new markets, new jobs, and
to distant family and friends.

For People with Disabilities.  Broadband is an especially promising technology
for the 54 million Americans with disabilities -- able to provide breakthrough
new benefits not possible in today's legacy phone network. As all Americans
increasingly depend on e-mail and the Internet to work and communicate, it
becomes even more important to ensure that people with disabilities are not
left out of the digital revolution.

For Seniors.  Policies designed to accelerate the use of broadband could save
seniors more than $800 billion by reducing health care costs. These benefits
are as substantial as what the federal government is likely to spend on
homeland security over the next 25 years, and under the right set of policies,
could exceed what the United States currently spends annually for health care
for all its citizens.

For the Economy.  Ubiquitously available broadband could unleash:
    * an estimated $500 billion in economic growth
    * create more than 1.2 million high-wage jobs
    * restore America's global competitiveness
    * boost business productivity -- which is essential to raising standards of
living for all families in America
    * allow small businesses to reach global markets

For Homeland Security.  In a study of the communications failures on September
11, 2001, the National Academies of Science found that the Internet held up
better than other communications technologies on that fateful day. On 9/11, 95%
of cell phone calls at 11 a.m. failed to get through, the central office for the
phone system cut off 300,000 landline phones, television stations were knocked
off the air, and police and Fire Department radios failed. In contrast, only 2%
of Internet addresses remained off-line for an extended period. 9/11
demonstrated the Internet's overall resilience to attacks thru its flexibility,
and adaptability. But 7 years after 9/11, America has not done enough to advance
the broadband Internet technologies that can help avoid future communications
failures.

For Public Safety.  Katrina, another catastrophic communications failure,
highlighted once again how fragile and woefully outdated the emergency
communications system in this country has become. During Katrina, 38 Public
Safety Answering Points (PSAPS) failed preventing 911 calls from being answered
-- which public safety leaders say could have been avoided if they had switched
to IP based voice and data communication. Connecting public safety answering
points to broadband, like we've connected schools and libraries, is the new
post-Katrina communications imperative.

For Government.  Universal broadband could also have important advantages for
the government itself, allowing government workers to communicate in more
geographically-dispersed locations in an emergency. In the event of a major
9/11-type attack on Washington, offices could be inaccessible but employees
will still need to communicate. Federal workers using broadband enabled phones
could immediately work from home or other broadband enabled location --
improving continuity of government. Many government agencies are already making
the switch to broadband enabled voice services, but without broadband at home,
workers can't connect.

Luckily, the Senate's hearing focuses on people rather than pipes. Because even
as we come to recognize that broadband networks are the essential
communications medium of the 21st century, those who could benefit the most
from this economically empowering technology are also those most likely to be
left without access because of where they live or how much money they make.

The Senate hearing will undoubtedly reach this answer: universal, affordable
broadband access is as important to the advancement of the American ideal of
equal opportunity in the 21st century as universal access to education and
universal phone service was in the last. As broadband becomes more critical for
everything from jobs, to education and even participation in modern campaigns -
millions do not have access to affordable high-speed broadband - or any
broadband choices at all. We have made great progress in extending broadband's
reach, but, unfortunately, America faces a lingering broadband gap that is
unlikely to be bridged by market forces alone. Now is the time for government
leadership -- for making broadband as universal as telephone service is today
and bringing its benefits to all Americans as soon as possible.


-- 
Richard Lowenberg
1st-Mile Institute
P.O. Box 8001, Santa Fe, NM 87504
505-989-9110;   505-603-5200 cell
rl at 1st-mile.com  www.1st-mile.com

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