Community Broadband Providers Face Unique Challenges

Community broadband providers face unique challenges, said a group of experts June 10 at an event hosted by the New America Foundation. Broadband is a local issue and members of the communications community shouldn't lose sight of that, said author Craig Settles, who is also president of Successful.com and co-director of Communities United for Broadband, in a speech just prior to the panel discussion.

While discussing the national implications of telecom policy, and advocating for a robust national approach, Settles also expressed skepticism that the issue could be easily resolved through federal action. "It has become a national discussion at this point, followed by action policy and money," Settles said. "Broadband is a local issue, and we can't lose sight of the fact that it is all local, and regardless of what happens here in D.C., there are people in various communities, large, small and everything in between, and they have to live with these policies. What are some key things we need to do on the D.C. side, and on the local side?" Settles also rejected the notion of focusing exclusively on access to particular varieties of technology as a panacea. He suggested that a more holistic approach was needed.