Harvard's Berkman Center to Conduct Independent Review of Broadband Studies to Assist FCC

The Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University will conduct an independent expert review of existing literature and studies about broadband deployment and usage throughout the world. This project will help inform the Federal Communications Commission's efforts in developing the National Broadband Plan. "As the Commission embarks on the important task of crafting a National Broadband Plan, better data will inform and animate the activities of the agency. The Berkman Center's independent review of existing information will help lay the foundation for enlightened, data-driven decisionmaking," said FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski. "A comprehensive assessment of these plans will be enormously helpful given our short timetable," said Blair Levin, who is coordinating the FCC's National Broadband Plan. "We don't want to reinvent the wheel. Knowing what has already been learned will improve our ability to deliver the best possible National Broadband Plan." Consistent with Chairman Genachowski's recent public statements regarding an open and transparent National Broadband Plan process, the results of the Berkman Center review will be made publicly available.