After more than 18 months of discussion and debate, the U.S. Broadband Coalition released its report on a national broadband strategy at a meeting at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Sept. 24.

Led by President Jim Baller, who has served as a contributor to the Knight Center of Digital Excellence blog and e-newsletter, the nonprofit coalition includes large and small communications providers, technology companies, manufacturers, labor unions, educational institutions, utilities, consumer groups, public interest organizations, units of state and local government, and other stakeholders committed to our broadband future. (For a more detailed history of the coalition, read Baller’s guest viewpoint “The birth of a broadband coalition.”)

The 49-page report includes sections on opportunities that universal, affordable broadband connectivity could create; federal policy options designed to stimulate broadband investment, adoption, use, availability, progress assessments and accountability; and a general set of overall plan goals, which include:

• Every American home, business and public and private institution should have access to affordable high-speed broadband connections to the Internet.

• Access to the Internet should, to the maximum feasible extent, be open to all users, service providers, content providers and application providers.

• Network operators must have the right to manage their networks responsibly, pursuant to clear and workable guidelines and standards.

• The Internet and broadband marketplace should be as competitive as reasonably possible.

• U.S. broadband networks should provide Americans with the network performance, capacity and connections they need to compete successfully in the global marketplace.

In addition, there are sections detailing more specific narrative goals, timetables for where the coalition believes the U.S. should be in 2015 and 2020 in terms of speed and availability, and how topics such as open access, network management and competition should be handled.

According to Baller, very few groups were calling for a national broadband strategy at the time his began this effort in early 2008. The report, which also includes a complete listing of all coalition members, shows how important the discussion has become and how many have come to the table to be a part of it. With the FCC tasked to prepare a national broadband plan by Feb. 17, the coalition’s work could play a major part in how that document is formed.

However, the coalition isn’t finished yet. A final, more thorough report is scheduled for a Nov. 1 release.

Tags: Baller Herbst Law Group, broadband, Broadband Adoption and Use, Broadband Expansion, digital, economy, FCC, Federal Communications Commission, infrastructure, innovation, ISPs, Jim Baller, Knight Center of Digital Excellence, national broadband plan, open Internet, open network, U.S. Broadband Coalition