Broadband Stimulus Proposals for the 21st Century

Free Press released a comprehensive set of proposals that would deploy a forward-looking national broadband infrastructure. "Investing in the information superhighway is a concrete way for President-elect Barack Obama and Congress to kick start the economy and secure long-term prosperity," said S. Derek Turner, research director of Free Press and author of the report. "But since future generations will be footing the bill for this stimulus package, Congress must ensure that these funds deliver the next-generation networks this country needs. There should be no blank checks." The policies detailed in the new report would allocate $44 billion over the next three years, immediately producing tens of thousands of new technology-sector jobs and generating hundreds of billions of dollars in economic activity. The proposed tax incentives and grant programs are designed to trigger new investments, not to fund projects previously planned by incumbent telecommunications companies. Free Press' broadband proposals address the problems of broadband availability and adoption, while also providing substantial immediate and future economic benefits. These proposals also stipulate that all networks constructed with or supported by broadband stimulus funding must be open, freely competitive platforms for ideas and commerce.