Benton Foundation

[Commentary] While we don’t usually think of cities as lacking broadband services, what they often lack is affordable broadband. Go to a local library in a city and you often see waiting lists for using their computers, or you see many people with their own devices using library-provided Wi-Fi. The New York Public Library program was prompted, in part, by a New York Mayor’s Office 2015 report noting that 36 percent of the city’s households with incomes below the poverty line lacked home Internet service. We know a lot of people have abandoned high priced cable or telephone company-provided Internet plans and just use their mobile phones to access the Internet, but those plans, too, are expensive and typically have data caps. The library patrons we spoke with were clever with work-arounds, but the bottom line was that not having an Internet connection that allows you to work with files, to work for longer periods of time, to work in a comfortable place where you can concentrate, impairs many routine activities. For kids in schools that assume students have easy Internet access, there is real jeopardy they will not be able to participate. Library-based hotspot programs may be a useful, if temporary, solution to access for people who lack the ability to subscribe to broadband services. Our work is ongoing. In addition to New York/Queens/Brooklyn Public Libraries, we are looking at some rural libraries in Kansas and Maine that are also lending hotspots. Affordability is a common refrain both in rural and urban regions. There are some other dynamics in rural areas that complicate the picture, and we will share some of those observations later on. But the fundamental questions have to do with the status of this essential infrastructure in America. Why do we have the highest prices around the world for gaining access? Why so much less high-capacity service (like fiber) compared to many other industrialized countries? What is the role for wireless services filling in where wired infrastructure is either unaffordable or unavailable? And where do libraries fit in our broadband plans?

[Sharon Strover is a Professor in Communication and former Chair of the Radio-TV-Film Department at the University of Texas where she now directs the Technology and Information Policy Institute.]

[Commentary] If I learned anything during this election, it is that opposing sides are not speaking with each other. And because we are more disconnected, we need to focus on ways to connect. We should be thinking about the fundamental power of communication as a way to bring us together, not further divide us. As we prepare for a new Congress and new Administration, we at Benton are recommitting ourselves to providing the tools that policymakers and advocates need to keep abreast of developments in our field – and a platform for debating what “in the public interest” means in the Digital Age.

At Benton, we aim to connect policymakers, researchers, and community practitioners working to help get everyone online. We will both publish and highlight research that we believe can inform debates about how best to bring the benefits of broadband to every community and every household. We believe that communities must play an active role in deciding their broadband futures. And we are developing tools to help them facilitate smart discussions and decisions about improving their telecommunications infrastructure. We see great potential in public-private partnerships to build and maintain next-generation broadband networks. Benton will work tirelessly to ensure Federal programs that make broadband service available and affordable in rural areas, in schools, libraries, rural health care facilities, and low-income households are adequately funded. Benton will defend policies that ensure Internet users’ rights to employ any legal applications, content, devices, and services of their choosing on the broadband networks they rely on. The Internet must remain a platform for all consumers, content creators, and innovators, regardless of their ability to pay infrastructure owners special fees for special access. Finally, Benton will work to ensure that the First Amendment is respected in the Digital Age. Freedom of religion, of speech, of the press, of assembly, and the right to petition our government should not be abridged. Sticking up for what’s right, choosing facts over fear, being a voice for good and for solutions that can make America even greater -- this is a family legacy I am proud to be a part of.

While my voting habits are partisan, I view broadband as potentially bi-partisan. The substance of my three recent speeches, written before the election, were consciously designed to communicate the same messages regardless of outcome.

Today’s topic, relevant regardless of election results, is how best to utilize the bi-partisan consensus that we need better infrastructure, including our broadband networks. I will set out different approaches, not with an eye toward advocating what is best, but, rather, laying out different options for how effectively targeting funds. I can see at least seven potential targets, none of which are exclusive. Many are complementary. These are: 1) An Anchor Strategy, 2) Middle Mile Strategy, 3) A Final Mile Strategy, 4) A Next Gen Strategy, 5) Digital Enterprise Zones, 6) State Block Grant Strategy, and 7) A City Block Grants Strategy.

[Levin serves as a non-resident Senior Fellow of the Metropolitan Policy Project of the Brookings Institute]

[Commentary] I believe the American people got pretty much the 2016 Presidential campaign coverage that Big Cable and Big Broadcasters wanted us to have. The elections made Big Media piles of money, required nothing from them in the way of resource-intensive investigative journalism, and were aimed spot-on to entertain, not to inform, us. Our civic dialogue descended into the gutter, literally, and politics turned into one big reality show extravaganza with little connection to the real business of democracy. And don’t think this was a one-time aberration. Without some serious changes to how our democracy conducts its civic dialogue, we can expect more of the same. 2016 is very likely the new norm.

[Copps served as a commissioner on the Federal Communications Commission from May 2001 to December 2011 and was the FCC's Acting Chairman from January to June 2009. In 2012, he joined Common Cause to lead its Media and Democracy Reform Initiative.]

Governments can play an important role in funding broadband infrastructure deployment to ensure robust, affordable access for anchor institutions beyond what the market is able to do. Failing to take action to spur broadband deployment creates risks for the community – losing businesses, jobs, services, and population. There are several ways that governments can finance broadband deployment, including subsidies for investment, equity in public-private partnerships (PPPs), preferential tax treatment, long-term loans, on-lending loans, and guarantees to offset regulatory or political risk. One strategy that can minimize risk to the government and the provider is to fund broadband builds first to community anchor institutions (CAIs) in a region: CAIs can then serve as the “anchor tenants” to support the network’s economic viability. This strategy can ensure that schools, libraries, health providers, and other anchor institutions receive the high-capacity broadband services they need, while also providing capacity that can be shared with surrounding residential and business consumers.

[Trained in cultural anthropology and new media, Amelia Bryne is co-Director of DeepTech.org, a research consultancy that focuses on the social and environmental impacts of information and communications technologies.]

[Commentary] Expecting, perhaps, a wave of new Members of Congress, we had an eye on the elections of Members of key Congressional committees with jurisdiction over telecommunications. We found, again, however, that most Members will be returning for another 2 or 6 years. But, this time, to an entirely different political landscape. Stymied by the threat of Presidential veto for the last few years, Republicans in Congress have a pent up agenda. Network neutrality, Federal Communications Commission process reform, and maybe even a Telecommunications Act rewrite are all on the table. Here’s a look at what well could be the telecommunications agenda in the 115th Congress -- and who’s in charge of that agenda.

Recently, I gave a speech in Wilson (NC) at a conference on Expanding the Gigabit Ecosystem. I wasn’t there to make a partisan statement but began by agreeing with 75 percent of an assertion of one of the presidential candidates: that it is time—because it’s always time--to Make America Great. I suggested the real topic of that conference is how we make America great with great broadband. Today I would like to address four questions related to further steps along that journey:

What is the impact of next generation broadband?
Why not just wait for current market forces to deploy such networks?
What are some models for communities to act to accelerate deployment?
What other steps are useful for expanding the value of the gigabit ecosystem?

The primary objective of broadband policy ought to be to stimulate faster, better, cheaper broadband. There are many paths up the mountain. Let me offer a couple of thoughts based on my experiences with other communities.
First, get everyone on. Adoption is a vexing problem, combining elements of affordability, literacy and relevance. But it is also viral; the more members of a community who are own, the greater the incentives for others to get on. And once universality is achieved, it opens the door to all kinds of community improvements not available to those communities half on and half off. The FCC’s reform of its Lifeline program and many successful community adoption programs create new opportunities and models for achieving this goal.
Second, use the platform to better deliver public goods and services. All large enterprises are moving off the old analog platform and moving strictly to the digital platform. If you want to sell something, if you want a job, if you want information, you have to be on line. They don’t do this because they are nerds. They do this because it improves their ability to constantly improve how they deliver goods and services. Government, because it has to serve everyone, cannot migrate as easily, another reason it is important to get everyone on. But government should also aspire to constantly improve how it delivers goods and services. That means ending the era of lines and paper and making all government services web-based, providing greater transparency, always on, and above all, using more reliable data to improve performance.
Third, help every enterprise to become a networked, empowered enterprise. Amazingly many small businesses are still not online. This not only undercuts their ability to sell, it makes it more difficult to improve efficiency in buying, operating, and accounting made possible by cloud-based services. Not every company needs to be a web-based company. But every company can benefit from the services now available on the web.
Fourth, be a laboratory for all the communities that resemble Wilson (NC) more than they resemble Silicon Valley. In Silicon Valley, VC’s advise start-ups to “build things people need.” But what we have seen in the last few years is a focus on building things that people who live in Silicon Valley need. As will be discussed in the next several panels, you bring to the table an understanding of needs that Silicon Valley will have trouble understanding. Make that work to your advantage.
Fifth, partner with the incredible resources of the Research Triangle Park area. You are lucky. You are the only community fiber network I know of so close to a large-scale fiber build where soon, residents will have the most competitive gigabit market in the country. Moreover, you have access to the incredible resources of three world-class universities and a world-class tech hub.
And sixth, make sure your network accommodates the next technology shifts. The next two great networks to be built are the 5G next generation mobile network and the Civic Internet of Things, bringing intelligence to the infrastructure underlying our communities, improving water, sewer, electricity, and transportation grids. Both these new platforms will share a need for, and operate over, the fiber network you already have. Now is the time to start adopting the network to those emerging needs.

State and local governments have been providing anchor institutions with high-speed data connections using fiber-optic networks for several decades. Indeed, tens of thousands of schools, libraries, community centers, and public health and safety providers obtain their broadband connectivity from local government and state non-profit networks, including state research and education networks. Policymakers should strongly consider developing or augmenting their municipal or statewide governmental or non-profit networks to ensure that their anchor institutions have the highest-quality broadband connectivity, to establish a foundation for economic growth, and to meet fundamental societal needs. Government and non-profit anchor networks generally do not require short-term profits and, in most cases, can focus on long-term and community-based goals. These networks enable anchors to benefit from high bandwidth and reliability at reasonable per-unit pricing. These networks also benefit the private sector; many anchor networks lease excess capacity to and from commercial providers. While some criticize municipal broadband providers that serve residential customers, there are very few objections to networks that focus on serving anchor institutions.
[Joanne Hovis is president of CTC Technology & Energy, where she heads the firm’s work in network business planning, market analysis, financial modeling, policy, and strategy. She is a former president of the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors (NATOA) and serves on the boards of the Fiber to the Home Council, OneCommunity, and the Benton Foundation.]

[Commentary] In today's digital world, consumers deserve the ability to make informed choices about their online privacy. On October 27, 2016, the Federal Communications Commission adopted rules to ensure that broadband customers have meaningful choice, greater transparency, and strong security protections for their personal information collected by Internet service providers (ISPs). The rules give consumers greater control over their ISPs’ use and sharing of their personal information, and provide them with ways to easily adjust their privacy preferences over time. The rules are designed to evolve with changing technologies and encourage innovation. The rules implement the privacy requirements of Section 222 of the Communications Act for broadband ISPs, giving broadband customers the tools they need to make informed decisions about how their information is used and shared by their ISPs. To provide consumers more control over the use of their personal information, the rules establish a framework of customer consent required for ISPs to use and share their customers’ personal information that is calibrated to the sensitivity of the information. This approach is consistent with other privacy frameworks, including the Federal Trade Commission’s and the Administration’s Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights.