The Administration is working hard to increase the availability of broadband in this country. In July, the new ConnectHOME http://connecthome.hud.gov program was launched in 27 cities and one tribal nation to help bring the internet to more than 275,000 low-income households.
Last March, the President launched the Broadband Opportunity Council (BOC) www.ntia.doc.gov to be chaired by the Department of Commerce www.commerce.gov and the Department of Agriculture www.usda.gov. The focus is on bringing broadband to underserved communities and to encourage new entrants and investments to improve broadband quality and service.
In August, the Council submitted their report “Broadband Opportunity Council” Report and Recommendations” to the President for review stating their findings. The White House released the report September 21 listing the Council’s four broad recommendations.
The BOC broad recommendations:
- Modernize Federal programs to expand program support for broadband
- Empower communities with tools and resources to attract broadband investment and promote meaningful use
- Promote increased broad deployment and competition through expanded access to Federal assets
- Improve data collection, analysis, and research on broadband
Also, the BOC wants to see a portal with information on Federal broadband funding and loan programs to help communities easily identify resources that would help to expand their access to broadband.
The Council not only wants the Federal government to provide faster, and lower priced broadband into more homes, but the Administration is also calling on the private sector, local, state and tribal governments, community organizations and foundations to help tackle some of the big challenges like opening up critical data sources around the country to help communities become broadband ready to encourage more investment.
Go to www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/broadband_opportunity_council_report-final.pdf to view the report.