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How will broadband affect burgeoning controversies over health care? The answers to this question and more came courtesy of a Broadband Cenus-hosted, hour-long panel discussion. View a video of the discussion.
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President Obama on Innovation and Sustainable Growth. President Barack Obama has new plans to strengthen the economy that will all favor people with hi-tech educations.
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Elevate Miami, a comprehensive Digital Inclusion program launched by the city of Miami, aims to serve youth, low-income families, minorities, seniors and residents facing barriers to digital inclusion.
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The Knight Center of Digital Excellence held its first Stimulus Webcast Session for Knight communities and program directors July 23. Watch it online now.
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By pushing hard on broadband, lawmakers hope to close the "digital divide" that has long separated rural America. In doing so, they hope to give rural consumers access to the same sorts of high-speed services and opportunities - think telemedicine, distance-learning and Web-based commerce - that city dwellers have enjoyed for years.
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Posts Tagged ‘bandwidth’
Thursday, November 19th, 2009
If there were any lingering doubts that broadband is truly the future world platform for innovation, the information technology research and advisory company Gartner Inc. put some of those to rest with their recent projections on worldwide broadband penetration.
| Knight Community broadband penetration figures |
| Gartner reports 60 percent of U.S. households have a fixed broadband connection. Curious to know how your Knight Community ranks? The following figures are from a demographics study that determined what percentage of respondents said they connect to the Internet from home using a broadband or high-speed connection:
|
| Aberdeen, S.D. |
46.9 percent |
| Akron, Ohio |
45.7 percent |
| Biloxi, Miss. |
53.0 percent |
| Boulder, Colo. |
69.7 percent |
| Bradenton, Fla. |
45.7 percent |
| Charlotte, N.C. |
58.2 percent |
| Cleveland |
38.5 percent |
| Columbia, S.C. |
55.1 percent |
| Columbus, Ga. |
50.8 percent |
| Detroit |
35.8 percent |
| Duluth, Minn. |
54.3 percent |
| Fort Wayne, Ind. |
48.1 percent |
| Gary, Ind. |
35.1 percent |
| Grand Forks, N.D. |
57.4 percent |
| Long Beach, Calif. |
49.5 percent |
| Macon, Ga. |
39.9 percent |
| Miami-Dade County |
44.6 percent |
| Milledgeville, Ga. |
41.2 percent |
| Myrtle Beach, S.C. |
48.8 percent |
| Palm Beach County, Fla. |
63.1 percent |
| Philadelphia |
45.0 percent |
| San Jose |
62.3 percent |
| St. Paul, Minn. |
53.8 percent |
| State College, Pa. |
68.6 percent |
| Tallahassee, Fla. |
57.1 percent |
| Wichita, Kan. |
51.6 percent |
| Source: Demographics Now |
Overall, Gartner projects 422 million (about 20 percent) households worldwide will have a fixed broadband connection by the end of this year, a roughly 11 percent increase from the number of households that had a fixed broadband connection at the end of 2008.
According to Gartner, South Korea is currently the leader in household broadband penetration with 86 percent of South Korean households connected to broadband, followed by the Netherlands (80 percent), Denmark (75 percent), Hong Kong (72 percent), Canada (69 percent) and Switzerland (69 percent). Gartner reports the U.S. lags behind with a 60 percent broadband penetration rate, but expects it to pass several nations in the next four years as projections have the U.S. adding 27 million new connections and raising its penetration rate to 78 percent by 2013.
Gartner also predicts several developing nations will see a massive rise in their number of broadband connections with an additional 135 million in the next four years. The firm expects Brazil, Russia, China and India to account for more than two-thirds of new connections in the developing world and nearly half of all new connections worldwide.
At the Knight Center of Digital Excellence, these numbers tell us what we already know: The cry for better broadband can be heard all over the world and it’s not being ignored any longer. Nations that have been at the forefront will continue to grow and innovate further (Gartner predicts South Korea’s household broadband penetration rate will be 93 percent in 2013.), while nations that have gotten a late start will begin to utilize the same life-changing applications many already take advantage of.
Tags: Aberdeen, Akron, bandwidth, Biloxi, Boulder, Bradenton, Brazil, broadband, Broadband Expansion, broadband penetration, California, Canada, Charlotte, China, Cleveland, Colorado, Columbia, Columbus, Demographics Now, Denmark, Detroit, digital, Duluth, Florida, Fort Wayne, Gartner Inc., Gary, Georgia, Grand Forks, high-speed, Hong Kong, India, Indiana, infrastructure, innovation, Internet, Kansas, Knight Center of Digital Excellence, Knight communities, Long Beach, Macon, Miami, Milledgeville, Minnesota, Mississippi, Myrtle Beach, Netherlands, network, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Palm Beach, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Russia, San Jose, South Carolina, South Dakota, South Korea, St. Paul, State College, Switzerland, Tallahassee, Wichita
Posted in Digital news, Knight Center of Digital Excellence, broadband | 3 Comments »
Thursday, November 12th, 2009
 In any national broadband strategy, adoption and use need to play a major role. We’ve seen numerous examples of broadband driving future applications that will enhance lives. Advances in education, health care and economic development are out there, and many Americans are going to need to increase their technological competencies in order to realize the benefits.
While the U.S. Broadband Coalition submitted a report on a national broadband strategy to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Sept. 24, it recently submitted another that offers more detailed policy suggestions.
The Broadband Adoption and Use Working Group, chaired by Charles Benton, of the Benton Foundation; Link Hoewing, of Verizon; Karen Archer Perry, of the Knight Center of Digital Excellence; and Kenneth Peres of Communications Workers of America, collaborated with more than 30 authors representing over 25 different firms to create a new report that was delivered to the FCC Oct. 29 and will be showcased in a public forum at the FCC Hearing Room in Washington D.C. Nov. 13 at 1 p.m. EST.
“Broadband Adoption and Use: Bridging the Divide and Increasing the Intensity of Broadband Use Across All Sectors of the Economy,” is a robust document focusing on policy options that promote: inclusion, increased intensity of broadband use, interoperability, integration of broadband and technology into other programs, and expanded innovation. The report’s hundred plus policy ideas address each of these principles directly.
Inclusion
As more functions in our society move online, the cost of digital exclusion continues to escalate. Conversely, the value associated with any given Internet-enabled service increases as more people or devices access that service. This report includes specific recommendations to bridge the digital divide. Its universal design principles seek to bring access to people with disabilities. The benefits of broadband can potentially reach 40 percent of American adults who currently have inadequate or no access.
Intensity of Broadband Use
While broadband appears to be well integrated in some sectors of our nation’s economy, we’re actually in the beginning stages of broadband adoption as a whole. The potential to further leverage broadband technologies across society and the economy creates unparalleled opportunities to grow our economy and enrich lives.
The report covers a number of policy options designed to increase adoption and use in the areas of economic development, health care, public safety, education, energy and sustainability, and democracy and civic engagement.
Interoperability
While broadband developments to-date are founded on the natural interoperability of Internet Protocol (the method by which data is sent from one computer to another), more application-level interoperability is needed to accelerate development across sectors and constituencies such as in health care and public safety. The report points out where policy and standardization can drive additional deployment and create new, more effective use models.
Integration of Broadband into Everything
Broadband technology and Internet-based applications can no longer be managed and funded in “technology silos” of policy and investment. Information and Communications Technology (ICT) is integral to social services, education, health care, safety, civic rights and engagement, and all other sectors of the economy. The report recommends ICT investment and policy be incorporated into other federal and state programs such as housing, social services, education, and health care as integral funded and mission-aligned program components.
Investment
Strategic investments such as those made through the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act’s broadband stimulus funding, Universal Service Funds and USDA Rural Health programs are critical to filling gaps in the market in terms of access, adoption and applications.
Innovation
The hallmark of the Internet age has been innovation. While change is necessary to broaden and deepen the impact of broadband across the U.S., changes must also preserve and encourage continued innovation at all levels of the economy and market. A number of recent studies have shown the Internet is the new platform for innovation not only in the U.S. but globally. Consider the number of new applications and devices over the past few years.
Could any of us have accurately predicted this exact kind of innovation would take place? Can we accurately predict the future possibilities that exist? Probably not.
But as the Coalition suggests, we can encourage policies that will “focus not on protecting status quo but in continuing to create a fertile environment for U.S.-based innovation, expansion as well as adoption and use.”
Over 30 industry experts from 25 firms contributed to “Broadband Adoption and Use: Bridging the Divide and Increasing the Intensity of Broadband Use Across All Sectors of the Economy,” In addition to the report co-chairs, Alcatel-Lucent, Net Literacy, Telcordia, Utilities Telecom Council, PC Rebuilders and Recyclers, Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, OneCommunity and many others contributed to this report.
Each report section includes a statement on the opportunity, barriers and possible policy options to be implemented at the federal, state or local levels of government. While the report reflects a few areas of contention, there is strong overall agreement that increasing the adoption and use of broadband technology and services is good for America and for Americans.
With the Internet celebrating only its 40th birthday and search functions just over 10 years old, this is still a field in the early stages of growth and value. There is much we can do to create greater inclusion in adoption and to drive for greater value across those sectors where broadband is already in use and this report includes a menu of serious options for consideration.
Future events
The “Broadband Adoption and Use: Bridging the Divide and Increasing the Intensity of Broadband Use Across All Sectors of the Economy” report will be publicly released Nov. 13 and will be showcased in live and webcast events at the FCC Headquarters on the same day at 1 p.m. EST. Please check the Knight Center website for more details, go to www.BB4US.net or contact Karen Archer Perry at kperry@knightcenter.org.
Tags: Alcatel-Lucent, American Recovery & Reinvestment Act 2009, bandwidth, benton foundation, broadband, Broadband Adoption and Use, Broadband Adoption and Use Working Group, Broadband Expansion, Charles Benton, Communications Workers of America, digital, digital divide, economy, education, FCC, Federal Communications Commission, healthcare, ICT, Information and Communications Technology, infrastructure, innovation, Internet, Interoperability, Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, Karen Archer Perry, Kenneth Peres, Knight Center of Digital Excellence, Link Hoewing, national broadband plan, Net Literacy, network, OneCommunity, PC Rebuilders and Recyclers, public safety, rural communities, stimulus, Telcordia, telemedicine, U.S. Broadband Coalition, underserved, Universal Service Funds, USDA Rural Health, utilities, Utilities Telecom Council, Verizon, Washington D.C.
Posted in Digital news, Knight Center of Digital Excellence, broadband, national broadband plan | 2 Comments »
Thursday, November 12th, 2009
 By Doug Adams, Knight Center of Digital Excellence
My life is not that different from most men in their early 40s. Weekends are hectic, filled with kids’ games, events and errands – all while never straying too far from “work mode” as I am connected via Blackberry and laptop seven days a week. Was life this crazy for my father when I was young?
My father might not have had three soccer leagues plus football to juggle, or a workday that extended beyond nine-to-five to deal with, but I can manage my responsibilities and take advantage of so many new opportunities thanks to broadband. In many ways, my life is very different from what I envisioned it would be as a kid – or even what I envisioned five years ago. While the substance of my life is much as I would have anticipated, I never imagined being able to watch my beloved Indianapolis Colts via an iPhone application at the same time as my son Jack is scoring a goal at his soccer game. Being a supportive father in 2009 may require more work – but it is also a whole lot easier.
About a year ago, I introduced my son to U2. He loves the music almost as much as I do now, which is great – because what good is having kids if you can’t teach them to like what you like? Unfortunately, the 2009 U2 concert tour did not make it our way, but we watched the Los Angeles show this weekend streaming live via YouTube from start to finish.
Last weekend, I awoke on Saturday to my 4-year-old daughter on a Skype Internet call with her grandma in Connecticut. Zoe, a child of broadband and the numerous educational games available online, had dialed-up grandma on her own. Just an example of how her exposure to the resources on the Web have made her so aware of the present world around her and poised to compete in a future one.
We’re a multiple laptop family – so at the same time Zoe was speaking with Grandma, 9–year-old Abby was playing her favorite online game, which requires her to organize, prioritize and accomplish tasks before being rewarded with the next level. It’s no coincidence we’ve seen these same behaviors manifest in her daily life.
My family is by no means alone in terms of how pervasive broadband has become in our everyday life. Earlier this year, eMarketer reported that consumers, even in this tough economy, are scaling back in other places while keeping their broadband services intact. When asked what they would give up if forced to scale back, Americans ranked broadband way behind digital television and telephone service (both mobile and land lines). More than 66 percent of broadband users said they would keep broadband access at the same level or even scale up.
Tags: bandwidth, Blackberry, broadband, Broadband Expansion, Connecticut, digital, digital divide, digital television, eMarketer, FCC, Federal Communications Commission, high-speed, Indianapolis Colts, infrastructure, innovation, Internet, iPhone, Knight Center of Digital Excellence, laptop, Los Angeles, network, Pew Research Center Internet & American Life Project, Skype, U2, YouTube
Posted in Knight Center of Digital Excellence, Opinion, broadband | 3 Comments »
Wednesday, October 21st, 2009
Here’s a sentence you’ve probably seen in a number of recent Knight Center of Digital Excellence articles: “AT&T has publicly stated that real-time gaming is an ‘aspirational service’ and not a core broadband application.”
The statement has been used multiple times as an example the growing debate between service providers and other industries since Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Julius Genachowski’s Sept. 21 net neutrality webcast at the Brookings Institution.
Let’s take a closer look at AT&T’s statement, though. Should real-time gaming be considered an “aspirational service” and not a core broadband application? After all, video games are more or less for kids, right?
Not quite. Growing survey data presented in a 2008 Harvard Business School study on video games and broadband revealed the traditional gamer stereotype of the teenage boy is outdated. Consider these recent Entertainment Software Association numbers:
- The average gamer is 35 years old and has been playing for 12 years.
- Forty percent of all gamers are women. Additionally, “women over 18 years of age” is one of the industry’s fastest growing demographics. Adult women represent a greater portion of the game-playing population (34 percent) than boys age 17 or younger (18 percent). In addition, 57 percent of online gamers are male and 43 percent are female.
- Twenty-five percent of gamers are over the age of 50, an increase from 9 percent in 1999. This figure is expected to rise in coming years with nursing homes and senior centers across the nation now incorporating video games into their activities.
- Forty-two percent of homes in America have a video game console.
- Thirty-seven percent of heads of households report they play games on wireless devices such as a cell phone or PDA, up from 20 percent in 2002.
The statistics regarding wireless devices are particularly interesting because the FCC is still considering how issues such as net neutrality will affect wireless Internet. Regardless of what the FCC is thinking now, numbers seem to indicate devices that have a strong gaming component are likely to gain the attention of consumers.
The Harvard Business School study demonstrated that innovative devices, ubiquitous broadband access, improved games and increased reach led to U.S. sales of software, hardware and accessories reaching $18.9 billion in 2007, an almost 40 percent growth over 2006 sales. The Nintendo DS, a handheld broadband gaming device, was the top-selling gaming device in 2007 with 8.5 million units sold. Overall, more than 12 million handheld broadband video game devices were sold that year, in addition to 13 million console units that are capable of real-time online gaming.
The application side of online gaming claims a large audience as well. World of Warcraft, an extremely popular online role-playing video game, claimed 11.5 million monthly subscribers in August 2009. Facebook, the popular social media application with over 130 million subscribers, offers a number of “freemium” video games such as “Farmville” and “Mafia Wars” that not only attract millions of players, but also revolve around social networking. Gamesbrief (a video game industry blog) analyst Nicholas Lovell has claimed that many “freemium” games on Facebook make close to $20 per player on average, as players have the option to pay real money for virtual items that enhance play.
Non-video game device manufacturers are paying attention to these numbers. At a recent media gathering, Apple showed off updates to its line of iPods, pointing out there are more than 21,000 game available on the company’s App store for its iPhone and iPod Touch. In an interview with the New York Times, Apple CEO Steve Jobs said the company’s customers saw the iPod Touch as a strong gaming platform.
Major gaming device companies such as Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo have typically written off Apple as a major threat to their industry status. However, that hasn’t stopped those companies from moving in Apple’s arena as well. Both Sony’s PSP Go and Nintendo’s DSi are relatively new efforts by traditional handheld video game manufacturers to add more broadband-heavy functions to devices.
Could AT&T’s statement be pushback rhetoric from a service provider whose infrastructure can’t support gaming? Is AT&T trying to undermine not only competitors but also an entire platform of innovation that millions of Americans take advantage of on a daily basis?
Possibly. But the point is that while AT&T may want to classify real-time gaming as an “aspirational service,” it seems that device manufacturers, online application creators and American consumers are taking a more serious stance.
Tags: Apple, aspirational service, AT&T, bandwidth, broadband, broadband applications, Broadband Expansion, Brookings Institution, cell phone, digital, digital divide, economy, Entertainment Software Association, Facebook, Farmville, FCC, Federal Communications Commission, Gamesbrief, Harvard Business School, high-speed, infrastructure, innovation, Internet, iPhone, iPhone Touch, Julius Genachowski, KCoDE, Knight Center of Digital Excellence, Mafia Wars, Microsoft, network, New York Times, Nicholas Lovell, Nintendo, Nintendo DS, Nintendo DSi, online gaming, PSP Go, real-time gaming, Sony, Steve Jobs, video games, wireless, wireless devices, World of Warcraft
Posted in Digital news, Knight Center of Digital Excellence, broadband | No Comments »
Tuesday, October 20th, 2009
The final piece in a four-part series on the Federal Communication Commission’s six net neutrality principles:
During a recent webcast from the Brookings Institute, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Julius Genachowski explained six principles of net neutrality and proposed making them official rules. Let’s take a closer look at proposed rules five and six, which focus on devices and competition.
No. 5: Broadband providers can’t block or demote lawful traffic, or privilege their own content over that of their competitors.
The FCC’s fifth rule touches on a number of examples we’ve discussed in previous parts of this series, such as AT&T’s classifying real-time gaming as an “aspirational [broadband] service,” and Verizon Wireless being taken to task for blocking text messages from a political organization.
A scenario the Knight Center of Digital Excellence proposed in a previous blog is that if the FCC’s net neutrality rules are not enacted: A service provider could favor information from Microsoft over Google by purposely slowing Goggle’s content delivery to create a competitive disadvantage.
Since Genachowski’s webcast, a more critical eye has been turned to service providers that had been trying to find ways to better position themselves for a future Internet stranglehold. Verizon was recently taken to task for its numerous handset exclusivity deals, for example. (It has since responded by publicly stating it would work to reduce these type of deals.)
No. 6: Broadband providers must be transparent about their services.
Both the fifth and sixth principles have recently been added to a list the FCC has been touting for quite some time, but have caused the heaviest debate between various providers. The sixth principle, in particular, has been a major sticking point.
Major broadband providers feel strongly that the billions of dollars they’ve poured into their networks should provide them the exclusive right to operate those networks however they want. That includes offering premium services over their lines to differentiate themselves from competitors – and earn a healthy return on their investments in the process.
If all providers are forced to be transparent about their services (as well as follow other rules that limit handset exclusivity, for example), it becomes increasingly difficult to establish a competitive advantage and handicap smaller providers from having equal access to consumers. It could also lead to consumers having complete freedom to choose what device they want to use and what service that device will use to connect. No one, for example, will be forced to choose AT&T as a provider because he or she simply wants an iPhone.
Those are great scenarios for consumers, aren’t they? Imagine: Instead of providers trying to ignore or hide new types of innovative programming, they’ll simply have to develop the infrastructure to support it, right?
Not necessarily. Both broadband providers opposing Genachowski’s proposal and Republicans that sit on the FCC and in Congress have expressed the opinion that network neutrality regulations would likely discourage broadband providers from expanding and upgrading their systems.
How do you view that statement? Are major providers trying to make the point that falling profit margins would simply lead to a lack of research and development dollars? Or is it a threat to essentially hold innovation hostage until they get what they want?
No matter how you view it – or any of the examples we’ve provided throughout this series – the fact remains that there are a lot of complicated issues to sort through – even well after the five-member FCC votes on Genachowski’s net neutrality proposal Thursday, Oct. 22.
For his part, Genachowski commented in a recent interview that as long as cable and telecommunications networks are delivering “high-speed, affordable broadband to all consumers in a given area,” marketplace limitations should be sufficient. However, if they “fall short” in any area or attribute, he said the FCC will propose “alternative and creative solutions” as part of its plan.
Further reading:
• Part one
• Part two
• Part three
Tags: AT&T, bandwidth, Brookings Institution, competition, Congress, digital, economy, FCC, Federal Communications Commission, Google, high-speed, infrastructure, innovation, Internet, iPhone, Julius Genachowski, KCoDE, Knight Center of Digital Excellence, Microsoft, Net Neutrality, network, Republican party, Verizon
Posted in Knight Center of Digital Excellence, broadband | No Comments »
Tuesday, October 20th, 2009
Ever since Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Julius Genachowski’s Sept. 21 net neutrality webcast at the Brookings Institute, an intense debate on the subject has raged between a number of industry executives, policy makers and other concerned parties.
What everyone seems to agree on, however, is the impression the FCC made by publicly stating its stance. Stephen Collins, head of global regulatory affairs for Skype, one of the loudest voices for net neutrality from within the high-tech industry, said, “This puts the FCC at the forefront of global Internet policy. It was a bold statement that could have ripple effects across the globe.”
It’s difficult to imagine what the exact effect would be across the globe if the U.S. were to implement and enforce a robust net neutrality policy. Other nations have different needs, different broadband infrastructures and considerably diverse government models.
A few nations, such as Norway and Japan, have net neutrality rules in place similar to those proposed by Genachowski. Others have dismissed such policies, including several European nations and emerging nations, because telecommunications companies are either controlled by or closely connected to the government. The government plays an even larger role in nations such as China, Iran and Ethiopia, where content and connection speeds are so heavily censored and restricted that there may as well be no Internet service at all.
However, a large number don’t even have a need to consider policies at all because consumers already enjoy both a greater level of competition and more bandwidth than in the U.S.
Those are important categories to consider – competition and infrastructure. When you strip down many of the arguments made for or against FCC-proposed net neutrality rules, those seem to be two concerns that are most prevalent in the overall debate. Read the Knight Center of Digital Excellence’s four-part series on the FCC’s six net neutrality rules for specific examples on how the relative lack of broadband competition and low levels of available bandwidth in our nation are pitting major industry players against each other.
Looking at nations that considered competition and infrastructure issues from the onset adds an interesting facet to the net neutrality debate: Is it a short-term solution to answer for a lack of long-term planning?
Net neutrality is important, and rules governing it should apply to the Internet no matter where or how it’s accessed to ensure American consumers have fast, open and accessible service. At the same time, we hope they don’t detract attention from big-picture problems – the need for more robust competition in broadband markets and the building of higher speed, best-effort infrastructure.
Tags: bandwidth, broadband, Broadband Expansion, Brookings Institution, China, competition, digital, Ethiopia, Europe, FCC, Federal Communications Commission, high-speed, infrastructure, Internet, Iran, Japan, Julius Genachowski, Net Neutrality, network, Norway, Skype, Stephen Collins
Posted in broadband | No Comments »
Thursday, October 8th, 2009
 We know the numbers – the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) world broadband ranking numbers. The U.S. ranks 20th in the world in terms of adoption (60 percent), according to the latest “Global Broadband Forecast” from Strategy Analytics, a global research and consulting firm.
Needless to say, placing 20th in such a category is not where the U.S. wants to be. Compared with past rankings, it indicates we’re actually falling farther behind instead of catching up to competing nations.
It begs the question: How accurate is that ranking when looked at from a different perspective? According to Thomas Hazlett, a professor of law and economics at George Mason University, it’s not very accurate at all.
Instead of ranking nations based on broadband subscriptions per 100 households, as OECD rankings do, Hazlett looked at broadband availability instead, since availability shifts the attention to household size as a statistical denominator. His research, which included analysis by Federal Communications Commission economist Scott Wallsten, placed the U.S. between eighth and 10th when primarily looking at world broadband availability. However, in addition to household size, Wallsten also compared broadband speed and pricing among nations. When considering all these factors, the U.S. is much more competitive with most other advanced economies than previously thought.
Our nation is competitive despite the fact that many U.S. consumers don’t take advantages of options to obtain ultra-high bandwidth connections because of the added expense. However, thanks to recent technology breakthroughs, cable systems are finding ways to increase bandwidth economically, which may force telecommunications rivals to improve their service speed – and perhaps price – as well. Improvements in those areas could catapult the U.S. into a position as a world broadband leader.
Another number to consider: According to a study sponsored by the Business Software Alliance, the U.S. is ranked No. 1 in the world in the IT industry competitive index. The study considers a nation’s supply of skilled workers, technology infrastructure, intellectual-property protection and a government support of technology that allows market forces to work. Our top ranking is commendable, but we need to commit to infrastructure improvements to stay ahead of other nations that already have more defined broadband strategies in place.
Considering the above information, we look much better now, don’t we? We do, but keep in mind a different look at the numbers also offers this perspective: Just about any nation can look better on paper depending on how the data is manipulated. In short, there’s still plenty of work to do. Just because we change the perspective doesn’t mean we’re completely in the clear. After all, while a case can be made that the U.S. should be ranked much higher when compared with other broadband nations, other studies with solid methodology show we’re right where we should be. But whether you prefer to view the U.S. as ranked eighth, 10th, 15th or 20th, it doesn’t change the fact that our nation still isn’t quite where it wants to be.
Tags: bandwidth, broadband, broadband availability, Broadband Expansion, Business Software Alliance, digital, digital divide, Federal Communications Commission, George Mason University, Global Broadband Forecast, high-speed, infrastructure, Internet, IT, Knight Center of Digital Excellence, network, OECD, Scott Wallsten, Strategy Analytics, Thomas Hazlett, world broadband rankings
Posted in Digital news, broadband | No Comments »
Tuesday, October 6th, 2009
The spigot is officially on. Today, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announced the first four stimulus grants for broadband deployment in four states. The initial projects will be in California, Indiana, North Carolina and Vermont, and are aimed at increasing broadband access and adoption through improved data collection and planning.
Federal officials are continuing to review applications from all remaining 46 states, the District of Columbia and five U.S. territories.
Here’s a synopsis of the first four projects:
• California will receive $1.8 million; North Carolina, $1.6 million; Indiana, $1.3 million; and Vermont, $1.2 million, to collect data and verify the availability, speed and location of broadband across those states. The projects are to extend from now through 2011, with initial data to become available next month.
• California will also receive an additional $500,000 for broadband planning over four years. An additional $435,000 will also go to North Carolina for broadband planning over five years.
In a press release, the NTIA offered clues as to the degree of thoroughness it expects in successful applications. Specifically, the four winning applications contained the following:
• Plans for data collection from multiple sources. All four recipients will collect data from broadband providers – but each plans to delve further by tapping other sources of information as well. For example, there will be speed tests as well as online and field surveys. Recipients also plan to use third party existing data (developed for other purposes) to assist their mapping efforts.
• Plans for multiple verification methods. Once again, recipients will seek independent information on speeds and locations of broadband.
• Collaboration: Each state demonstrated commitment to build partnerships to achieve desired results with the greatest efficiency possible.
The comments from federal officials echo our thoughts at the Knight Center of Digital Excellence: The best projects are meticulously planned, draw on well-documented information from as many sources as possible and bring government and civic-minded organizations together in partnerships.
Tags: American Recovery & Reinvestment Act 2009, bandwidth, BIP, broadband, Broadband Expansion, Broadband Initiatives Program, broadband mapping, Broadband Technology Opportunities Program, BTOP, California, collaboration, Indiana, infrastructure, Internet, Knight Center of Digital Excellence, National Telecommunications and Information Administration, network, North Carolina, NTIA, stimulus, stimulus watch, Vermont
Posted in ARRA, Digital news, Stimulus Package, broadband | No Comments »
Thursday, October 1st, 2009
With less than 150 days remaining before the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is expected to present a national broadband plan to Congress as required by the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act, Chairman Julius Genachowski opened up on a topic sure to play a major part in how that strategy is shaped – net neutrality.
Net neutrality would protect an open Internet on all wired and wireless networks, meaning data would be delivered at the same speed, regardless of provider, and no privilege would be given to any one kind of content.
But what exactly is net neutrality, in terms of how the FCC defines it? During a recent webcast from the Brookings Institute, Genachowski explained the following six principles of neutrality and proposed making them official rules:
No. 1: Consumers are entitled to access whatever legal content they like.
No. 2: Consumers can run whatever legal applications – and use whatever legal services – they like, with some exemptions for law enforcement purposes.
No. 3: As long as they don’t damage the network, consumers can connect any legal devices of their choosing.
No. 4: Consumers have a right to competition.
No. 5: Broadband providers can’t block or demote lawful traffic, or privilege their own content over that of their competitors.
No. 6: Broadband providers must be transparent about their services.
The first four aren’t new. Those who have been paying following the FCC’s stance on the issue know the agency has been using those for the past four years. The last two, however, have recently joined been added and are expected to cause quite a stir between various providers – some of whom have already begun taking very public shots at each other over certain applications and devices.
The Knight Center of Digital Excellence is going to take a closer, more in-depth look at each of the FCC’s principles over a series of three future blog postings. We’re a net neutrality advocate, particularly as the discussion relates to the sixth principle: Broadband providers must be transparent about their services. The impetus behind this principle is creating greater capability, speed and access for all citizens – a fundamental objective for us at the Knight Center.
Further reading:
• Part two
• Part three
• Part four
Tags: American Recovery & Reinvestment Act 2009, bandwidth, broadband, Broadband Expansion, FCC, Federal Communications Commission, high-speed, infrastructure, innovation, Internet, Julius Genachowski, Knight Center of Digital Excellence, Net Neutrality, wireless network
Posted in Knight Center of Digital Excellence, broadband | No Comments »
Monday, September 21st, 2009
As much as a show of human capacity for athletic achievement, the 2012 Olympics in London also promise to show how broadband networks can take communications to previously unimagined heights.
The consulting firm Forrester Research even plans a series of reports on lessons from planning the communications component. Forrester’s asumption is that information and communications technology will be the “heartbeat” of the 2012 games.
In the executive summary of its first report in the series, Forrester highlights six lessons that business-to-business companies can learn from planning the “greatest show on earth”:
No. 1: Start early;
No. 2: Nothing beats experience;
No. 3: Select the A-team;
No. 4: Partner for success;
No. 5: Structure matters; and
No. 6: Plan for convergence
According to Computer Weekly, the core infrastructure will be “simple and industrial-strength”.
The BBC, for one, plans to stream content live onto websites, while also offering videos on demand and real-time access to events and results through a variety of devices.
“We can use 2012 to do for digital media what the coronation did for television,” Ben Gallop, head of interactive at BBC Sport, told Computer Weekly.
At the Knight Center of Digital Excellence, we feel these digital media efforts will be fun to watch – along with the games.
Tags: 2012 Olympics, bandwidth, BBC, BBC Sport, Ben Gallop, broadband, business-to-business, Computer Weekly, digital, Forrester Research, infrastructure, innovation, Internet, Knight Center of Digital Excellence, London
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