[1st-mile-nm] Broadband op-ed in today's Albuquerque Journal

[Harris, Brian]

Indeed "broadband" is a slippery term.  That's why, when we were litigating
Qwest's 3rd "alternative form of regulation" (AFOR 3) I concentrated on
"infrastructure to support high speed internet."  We got the PRC to impose
some additional investment requirements on Qwest.

I think it is time for an "infrastructure" discussion.  Just like the water
pipes and sewage lines, roads and pipeline safety, telecommunications
infrastructure is an essential component of what we have come to call the
"good life" in America.  We need to start thinking of how we build and
maintain such infrastructure, whether we can count 100% on the private
sector to serve those least able to pay and if the market will achieve the
goal of ubiquity such as we have we had with "plain old telephone service."

Under the old universal service policy approach to ubiquity this country
fostered the growth of a voice telephony infrastructure that was second to
none in the world.  Starting with the '96 Telecom Act, when we relied 100%
on "competition" to serve our needs the other countries started surpassing
us both in terms of houses passed and sheer speed.  However, given the state
of the world  I am not confident that there exists the political will to
re-examine the '96 Act and fix it.

Brian Harris
The views expressed herein are entirely his own!

On Thu, Jul 15, 2010 at 2:25 PM, Tom Johnson <tom at jtjohnson.com> wrote:

> The problem with essays/editorials like this is that they rarely define
> "broadband."  For too long now, the FCC said it was 250kbytes (NB make sure
> one specifies BITES or BYTES) up and down.  In fact, we need to join much of
> the so-called developing world like Japan and South Korea and set our
> initial target a 1gigabytes up and down .
>
> -Tom Johnson
> Santa Fe
>
> On Thu, Jul 15, 2010 at 1:27 PM, Cummins, Kevin (Tom Udall) <
> Kevin_Cummins at tomudall.senate.gov> wrote:
>
>>
>>
>> FYI only.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> *Broadband Is Critical*
>>
>>
>>
>> By Terry Brunner
>>
>> USDA Rural Development State Director for New Mexico
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>     It goes without saying that broadband-high speed Internet is changing
>> the way Americans live their lives. It's almost hard to remember how many of
>> us got by without it.
>>
>>
>>
>>     With access to broadband, we can easily sell a car, rent an apartment,
>> look for a job, read the news or manage a business. The advantage of the
>> broadband network is that it can connect you to the rest of the world on
>> your schedule, at your convenience and almost anywhere — that is unless you
>> live in rural America.
>>
>>
>>
>>     Today, too few rural Americans take advantage of the opportunities
>> broadband provides. Only half of rural residents subscribe to broadband —
>> compared to 65 percent nationwide — because too many communities in rural
>> America don't have adequate access to broadband infrastructure.
>>
>>
>>
>>     Simply put, building a broadband infrastructure is critical to
>> creating jobs and economic opportunity in rural America.
>>
>>
>>
>>     With investments in broadband we are fostering innovation and bringing
>> America's rural communities into the digital age. A young person doesn't
>> have to move to the nearest city to make a living. He or she can create,
>> develop and run a business at home, in rural America, and be successful. A
>> young parent can work and raise a family and still connect with business
>> partners across the country or around the world.
>>
>>
>>
>>     With new or enhanced broadband access, the door to economic growth is
>> open.
>>
>>
>>
>>     When broadband access reaches into rural communities:
>>
>>
>>
>>     • Farmers and ranchers will have up-to-the-minute commodity and
>> weather information to make the best decisions for their operations;
>>
>>
>>
>>     • Schools can expand limited course offerings through distance
>> learning — both advancing education and better preparing students to compete
>> in the 21st century economy;
>>
>>
>>
>>     • First responders will have information they need to keep their
>> communities safer;
>>
>>
>>
>>     • Rural health care will improve, as medical specialists will be able
>> to use telemedicine to provide advanced diagnosis for patients or to consult
>> with colleagues at other hospitals.
>>
>>
>>
>>     At the Department of Agriculture, we are focused every day on creating
>> thriving rural communities where people want to live and raise families. We
>> want every parent and grandparent in rural America to be able to look their
>> child or grandchild in the eye and tell them their hometown has the economic
>> opportunities to offer them a bright future.
>>
>>
>>
>>     The Obama administration recently announced investment in 66 new
>> Recovery Act broadband projects nationwide, the second round of funding for
>> broadband infrastructure from President Obama's Recovery Act. Thirty-seven
>> of these new projects will help expand broadband access in rural America.
>> These projects will not only directly create more than 5,000 jobs up front,
>> but spur economic development in some of the nation's hardest-hit
>> communities, creating jobs for years to come.
>>
>>
>>
>>     These funds will put people to work constructing new facilities,
>> erecting towers to transmit signals and high speed broadband services
>> installed in homes, businesses and community education, safety and public
>> health centers.
>>
>>
>>
>>     But the investments also will foster long-term economic growth. The
>> more than $7 billion provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
>> to help expand broadband will benefit tens of millions of Americans and over
>> 685,000 businesses, 900 health care facilities and 2,400 schools in all 50
>> states.
>>
>>
>>
>>     We will see the impact of broadband in rural New Mexico with several
>> broadband projects being funded.
>>
>>
>>
>>     For example, the Baca Valley Telephone Co. in Des Moines received a
>> $1.6 million loan and $1.5 million grant. The funding will expand fiber
>> optics to Digital Subscriber Line in rural northeastern New Mexico
>> communities. The money will be used to replace outdated deteriorating copper
>> wire and low bandwidth microwave transport systems in some areas, while
>> providing new connectivity in others, and enabling advanced, high-speed DSL
>> service throughout the area.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
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>>
>
>
> --
> ==========================================
> J. T. Johnson
> Institute for Analytic Journalism -- Santa Fe, NM USA
> www.analyticjournalism.com
> 505.577.6482(c)                                    505.473.9646(h)
> http://www.jtjohnson.com                 tom at jtjohnson.com
>
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> http://indiepubwest.com
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