Definition of Innovative Programs at Issue at NTIA Roundtable

Broadband adoption is widely viewed as spurring innovation, but $7.2 billion had stakeholders gathered at Monday's public meeting on broadband funding to offer comments on what sort of "innovative programs" could make best use of the funding. American Telemedicine Association CEO Jonathan Linkous said his organization was pleased that the Commerce Department's National Telecommunications and Information Administration and the Agriculture Department's Rural Utilities Service were "taking the lead" on an issue he said had previously been spread between about a dozen federal agencies. American Library Association Executive Director Emily Shekatoff urged greater investment in public capacity at libraries, which she called "the premier public computer centers in America's communities." Libraries are the sole source of free access in 73 percent of America, she said. And as librarians are among the most "highly trusted" groups in America, Shekatoff said they could effectively implement training programs. OneEconomy Corporation CEO Rey Ramsey said, "It's important to be intentional about what we're trying to achieve," he said. If America wants every citizen to have access to broadband, Ramsey offered a simple solution: bring it into their homes.