Posted August 26th, 2009 by seanm
A Public Interest Internet Agenda is the Key to a National Broadband Plan that Serves the Public Good
Public interest media and telecommunications experts - including Access Humboldt's executive director Sean McLaughlin - collaborated to formulate public policies that will allow communities to reach for the American Dream in the Digital Age - the report "A Public Interest Internet Agenda" is released in Eureka, California.
The passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act in February of 2009 mandated that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) create a National Broadband plan by February of 2010. The FCC’s new Chairman, Julius Genachowski, has called for “a process that will be open, transparent and will allow public participation in ways that are unparalleled.” Residents and public interest groups are grateful that the FCC is seeking public participation, and are prepared with "A Public Interest Internet Agenda."
In early 2009, The Media & Democracy Coalition brought organizations from rural, urban, and Native communities together to develop an agenda to bring high quality, affordable broadband to all U.S. residents. In forums from Fort Mitchell, Kentucky to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, these groups explored policy solutions that would allow their communities to harness the power and possibility of the Internet. Through a process of collaboration and consensus building among these diverse communities and the nation’s leading public interest media advocacy organizations, including Access Humboldt based in Eureka CA, an aggressive public interest framework for broadband policy was born. “Communities that are impacted by policy must have a say in formulating it. The process supported by the Media and Democaracy Coalition yielded innovative ideas and specific policies to benefit diverse communities including remote rural places,” said Sean McLaughlin, executive director of Access Humboldt and leading advocate for the Digital Redwoods project, who participated in developing the report.
"A Public Interest Internet Agenda" prescribes broadband policy solutions that are tied to the common good and our nation’s prosperity. Connecting our entire nation to the Internet at broadband speed is the key to economic development, improved healthcare and education, energy efficiency, robust democracy and open government “Access to the Internet can help address many of the complex problems that the U.S. faces today. By adopting this bold strategy to network our nation, policy-makers can give communities and individuals tools to achieve their true potential,” said Beth McConnell, Executive Director of the Media and Democracy Coalition.
As the FCC formulates a National Broadband Plan for Our Future, this unique and valuable contribution from public interest advocates outside and inside of Washington, DC should be considered. We recommend that federal policy makers embrace the following core principles:
1.Broadband Communication is a fundamental right. To ensure this fundamental right, there must be universal and open, non-discriminatory access to high-speed and high-quality broadband. Mobility, abundance, and privacy should be top priorities.
2.Good policy must be well informed. Federal policymakers must have access to reliable data on where broadband presently exists, at what speeds, of what quality, by what provider, how it is used by consumers, why certain consumers do not use it, and how other consumers integrate it into their lives. These data must be as granular as possible, and should be made available in raw form on the Internet for public analysis.
3.Policy should promote competition, innovation, localism, and opportunity. Locally owned and operated networks support these core goals of Federal broadband policy, and therefore should receive priority in terms of Federal support. Structural separation of ownership of broadband infrastructure from the delivery of service over that infrastructure will further promote these goals.
4.Government should use public resources wisely. Policymakers should seek to leverage the use of resources and assets such as publicly-owned spectrum, fiber and rights-of-way to achieve the goal of universal broadband access to the Internet
5.Federal policy must stress digital inclusion and the service of traditionally disenfranchised communities. Stimulating broadband supply is necessary but not sufficient to achieve the goal of universal broadband. Policymakers much also promote digital inclusion to stimulate broadband demand and ensure that all U.S. residents have access to the digital skills and tools necessary to take advantage of the Internet’s enormous potential benefits in creativity, economic development and civic engagement. This benefits not just those on the wrong side of the Digital Divide, but all broadband users and our entire society.
The Media and Democracy Coalition is a collaboration of more than 30 organizations united to amplify the voices of the public in debates over media and telecommunications policies. A Public Interest Internet Agenda has been endorsed by over 40 local and national public interest organizations (including Access Humboldt) that work on media and telecommunications issues.
For more information or to download a copy of A Public Interest Internet Agenda, go to http://www.media-democracy.net/node/510
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