National Broadband Strategy Week Begins Today, 10 a.m., in Dirksen
    Senate Building

        News

      By Drew Clark, Editor, BroadbandCensus.com

WASHINGTON, December 2 - A total of 55 companies and non-profit
organizations, including major corporate entities such as AT&T, Cisco
Systems, Google, Intel and Verizon Communications, have signed on to a
"call to action for a national broadband strategy <http://bb4us.net/>."

The document has been crafted by a wide range of parties over the past
year under the stewardship of James Baller, senior principal of the
Baller Herbst Law Group, and the final version was released late Monday.

Verizon was a last-minute addition to the group of signatories, having
joined the list in between the first and the second public versions
e-mailed by Baller.

Among the major trade groups that signed on to the "call to action" were
the wireless association CTIA, the Telecommunications Industry
Association, and the National Cable and Telecommunications Association,
the Utilities Telecom Council, and the Wireless Communications
Associations International

Among the major non-profit groups include American Library Association,
Communications Workers of America, EDUCAUSE, Free Press, OneEconomy,
Connected Nation, Internet2, Media Access Project, the National
Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors, the New America
Foundation and Public Knowledge.

BroadbandCensus.com is also a signatory to the "call to action."

Baller released the final version in anticipation of a 10 a.m. press
conference in room G-50 of the Dirkson Senate Office Building.

"What's most remarkable about this initiative is that so large and
diverse a group of organizations agreed not only on the terms of our
call to action statement, but also to continue to work together to build
consensus on the substance of a national broadband strategy," Baller
said in a statement.

He also said that the call to action commits its signatories "to
continue to work together to address key issues and priorities and to
hold an event to present more specific recommendations to President
Obama, Congress and the American people."

The "call to action" includes general principles about the need for
advanced communications capabilities, highlights the fact that "too many
Americans still do not have access to affordable broadband," and sets
five goals for a comprehensive government strategy that would promote
broadband.

The five goals are that (a) every American home and institution should
have access to broadband, (b) access to the Internet should be open to
all users and content providers, (c) network operators "must have the
right to manage their networks responsibly, pursuant to clear and
workable guidelines and standards," (d) the broadband marketplace
"should be" competitive; and (e) U.S. broadband networks should have the
performance and capacity necessary to allow this country to be
competitive in the global marketplace.

The document then outlines policies to stimulate investment, policies to
stimulate adoption and use, and measures for "a system for regular and
timely collection and publication of data" on broadband deployment,
adoption and use.

The meeting of the call to action for a national broadband strategy
isn't the only major broadband-related event being held in the coming
week. On Thursday, the Massachusetts Broadband Institute is presenting a
"Call for Solutions" in Northampton, Mass.
<http://www.mtpc.org/invite/bband-callsolution111908.html>, on ways to
enable broadband throughout western Massachusetts.  And on Saturday, the
Internet for Everyone group, coordinated by Free Press and supported by
Google, is hosting a "Town Hall Meeting" in Los Angeles
<http://free.convio.net/site/Calendar?view=Detail&id=101021> designed to
"kick-start the movement to make an internet connection a right of every
American."

And on Tuesday, December 9, BroadbandCensus.com is hosting the second of
its five-part series, the Broadband Breakfast Club, on "How Broadband
Applications and Mapping Harness Demand for High-Speed Internet" in
Washington <http://broadbandbreakfast.eventbrite.com/>. The event will
take place at the Old Ebbitt Grill from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m., and will
feature speakers from App-Rising, the Public Technology Institute and
Walt Disney.

Tags: American Library Association
<http://broadbandcensus.com/blog/?tag=american-library-association>,
App-Rising <http://broadbandcensus.com/blog/?tag=app-rising>, AT&T
<http://broadbandcensus.com/blog/?tag=att>, Baller Herbst Law Group
<http://broadbandcensus.com/blog/?tag=baller-herbst-law-group>,
Broadband Breakfast Club
<http://broadbandcensus.com/blog/?tag=broadband-breakfast-club>,
BroadbandCensus.com
<http://broadbandcensus.com/blog/?tag=broadbandcensuscom>, Cisco Systems
<http://broadbandcensus.com/blog/?tag=cisco-systems>, Communications
Workers of America
<http://broadbandcensus.com/blog/?tag=communications-workers-of-america>,
Connected Nation
<http://broadbandcensus.com/blog/?tag=connected-nation>, CTIA
<http://broadbandcensus.com/blog/?tag=ctia>, EDUCAUSE
<http://broadbandcensus.com/blog/?tag=educause>, Free Press
<http://broadbandcensus.com/blog/?tag=free-press>, Google
<http://broadbandcensus.com/blog/?tag=google>, Intel
<http://broadbandcensus.com/blog/?tag=intel>, Internet for Everyone
<http://broadbandcensus.com/blog/?tag=internet-for-everyone>, Internet2
<http://broadbandcensus.com/blog/?tag=internet2>, James Baller
<http://broadbandcensus.com/blog/?tag=james-baller>, Jim Baller
<http://broadbandcensus.com/blog/?tag=jim-baller>, Massachusetts
Broadband Institute
<http://broadbandcensus.com/blog/?tag=massachusetts-broadband-institute>,
Media Access Project
<http://broadbandcensus.com/blog/?tag=media-access-project>, National
Association of Telecommunications Officers and
<http://broadbandcensus.com/blog/?tag=national-association-of-telecomm...>,
National Cable and Telecommunications Association
<http://broadbandcensus.com/blog/?tag=national-cable-and-telecommunica...>,
NCTA <http://broadbandcensus.com/blog/?tag=ncta>, New America Foundation
<http://broadbandcensus.com/blog/?tag=new-america-foundation>,
OneEconomy <http://broadbandcensus.com/blog/?tag=oneeconomy>, Public
Knowledge <http://broadbandcensus.com/blog/?tag=public-knowledge>,
Public Technology Institute
<http://broadbandcensus.com/blog/?tag=public-technology-institute>,
Telecommunications Industry Association
<http://broadbandcensus.com/blog/?tag=telecommunications-industry-asso...>,
United Telecom Council
<http://broadbandcensus.com/blog/?tag=united-telecom-council>, Verizon
Communcations
<http://broadbandcensus.com/blog/?tag=verizon-communcations>, Walt
Disney <http://broadbandcensus.com/blog/?tag=walt-disney>, WCAI
<http://broadbandcensus.com/blog/?tag=wcai>, Wireless Communications
Association International
<http://broadbandcensus.com/blog/?tag=wireless-communications-associat...>

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--
Drew Clark
Executive Director
BroadbandCensus.com

202-580-8196 (office)
202-329-9517 (mobile)
d...@drewclark.com <mailto:d...@drewclark.com>
d...@broadandbandcensus.com <mailto:d...@broadandbandcensus.com>

Daily news on broadband at http://BroadbandCensus.com

Recent articles: "States Seeking Better Broadband Nationwide Turn and
Make a Local Focus," at http://broadbandcensus.com/blog/?p=1065

"Net Neutrality Advocates: Wireless Carriers' Network Management Must be
'Reasonable'," at http://broadbandcensus.com/blog/?p=1046

"FCC Chairman Kevin Martin's Incredible Silicon Valley Wi-Fi Adventure,"
at http://broadbandcensus.com/blog/?p=1038

***

Broadband Breakfast Club with Geoff Daily (App-Raising), Susan Fox (Walt
Disney), Alan Shark (Public Technology Institute) on "How Applications
and Broadband Mapping Harness Demand for High-Speed Internet," at the
Old Ebbitt Grill, from 8 a.m. - 10 a.m., Tuesday, December 9, 2008.
Details at http://broadbandbreakfast.eventbrite.com