A new report from Connected Nation (pdf) predicts that the current legislation promoting broadband development in the U.S. could provide an economic stimulus of as much as $134 billion annually.
The report was an obvious pitch for Congress to get behind broadband, says MuniWireless. Connected Nation stresses more DSL and fiber.
It’s modeled after the ConnectKentucky approach.
The report notes that this would serve as a significant economic stimulus, and urges support for two bills: H.R. 3919, which would generate a national broadband census, and H.R. 3627x, which would promote broadband adoption.
But DSL Reports says what started as a real, local Kentucky effort to map U.S. broadband penetration, has been hijacked by baby bell lobbyists, and now exists primarily as a way to protect those companies’ interests under the guise of a national broadband deployment model, or so opines Public Knowledge.
Cynics would say it’s the same old story. Recall that San Antonio-based SBC Communications convinced the Bush Administration to add 90 MHz of wireless broadband for the country. It became the AWS band — which mostly benefited 3G carriers like AT&T. Then the FCC approved the $16 billion AT&T/SBC merger, making San Antonio’s SBC “the new” AT&T.
AT&T paid BKSH & Associates $400,000 in 2007 to lobby the federal government on deregulatory legislation that would make it easier for telephone companies to enter the video business. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. It’s just a little self-serving.
Related Fiber Optic articles on DailyWireless include; Vermont Fiber Co-op, Trouble in UTOPIA?, City Fiber Networks, National Broadband Policy?, Connecting the Nation, Utopia Spreads, Muni Fiber for Portland?, IPTV: Is It Soup Yet?, Community Fiber Nets,
