Why do broadband adoption rates remain low?

October 30th, 2009

According to a recent CNET News article by Marguerite Reardon, panelists at the Supercomm 2009 Tradeshow discussed a problem facing U.S. policy makers and service providers as they work to bring broadband access to every American – despite high accessibility rates, adoption rates remain low.

Figures released by the FCC last month in a status report state that approximately 96 percent of American households have access to broadband service from at least one service provider.  Of those people, however, about 33 percent do not subscribe to broadband.  Internet service providers have put the infrastructure in place, but the consumers will not come.  Why is this the case?

The FCC is currently conducting a study to try to answer this question.   The results of the FCC’s study could be key in the Commission’s development of the pending National Broadband Plan, which will be presented to Congress in February and will outline how the government can reach the goal of broadband access for all.

Mapping begins for some states

October 19th, 2009

The National Information and Information Administration has given four states grants to map out broadband availability in their states.  The grants are part of the federal broadband stimulus that Congress authorized at the beginning of the year as part of the total economic stimulus package.  One of the states awarded a grant is North Carolina.  According to this article in Federal Computer Week, the “grants will pay for projects to collect, verify and display data on broadband availability, speed and location in each state, along with related activities”.

House Members to FCC, NTIA: Libraries, Schools and Hospitals Need High-Speed Internet

October 1st, 2009

A Multichannel News story by John Eggerton recently discussed the desire of House Democrats that the national broadband plan include getting high-speed broadband service to libraries and other anchor institutions stating, “At a Federal Communications Commission oversight hearing last week, House Communications Subcommittee chairman Rick Boucher (D-Va), told agency chairman Julius Genachowski that the plan should focus on an ‘extraordinarily high bandwidth’ to libraries.”

According to the article, House Democrats have expressed their wishes that libraries, hospitals and other anchor institutions be wired up for high-speed internet to both the FCC and the National Telecommunications & Information Administration (NTIA).  They also encouraged that these types of institutions be prioritized for receiving very high speed connections when the NTIA is distributing dollars from the broadband stimulus fund.

The process of developing a national broadband plan has certainly helped broadband to become a priority issue, bringing to light all the many benefits to consumers and consumer institutions.