Benton Calls for National Broadband Plan

January 02, 2007

Today Benton Foundation Chairman and CEO Charles Benton sent President George Bush a letter asking him to create a national broadband strategy.

On March 26, 2004, during a campaign appearance in Albuquerque, New Mexico, President Bush said, “We ought to have universal affordable access for broadband technology by the year 2007.”

Universal broadband availability would not only unleash an estimated $500 billion in economic growth and more than 1.2 million high-wage jobs, but it could help bridge the digital divide and unleash a new wave of innovations, transforming almost every aspect of our lives. But, as 2007 begins, we appear to be far from achieving the President’s broadband goal.

• The United States has now fallen to 15th among industrialized nations in deploying broadband services.
• Only 25 percent of U.S. adults in rural areas have broadband services in their homes, reflecting too few choices, unaffordable prices, and limited (or lack of) service availability.
• The broadband penetration rate in rural areas is almost half the rate in urban and suburban households. Though growing, rural Internet penetration has remained roughly 10 percentage points behind the national average
• In addition, less than 10 percent of households with incomes below $25,000 have a broadband connection.

In his letter, Charles Benton urges the President to:

1) create a national broadband strategy with set benchmarks, deployment timetables, a commitment to demand drivers, and measurable thresholds;


2) with analog phone penetration nearly universal, develop federal policies to transition us to fully digital communication technologies – making broadband-based communication as universal as telephones are today; and


3) protect our traditional values in the 21st century – providing opportunities for all, including people with disabilities, to participate in the digital economy, using information age tools to ensure public safety, and respecting the privacy of all Americans.


Benton writes, “To achieve your goal, we need broadband pipes that are bigger, go faster, and extend further into every corner, community, and city in America – and we need them now.”

Read the full text of the letter at: http://www.benton.org/benton_files/
bentonfoundationbroadband.pdf

The Benton Foundation is a private foundation that is committed to articulating a public interest vision for the digital age and demonstrating the value of communications for solving social problems. Along with media policy, the foundation is also committed to strengthening public service media, including community media. Further information regarding the foundation and its work can be found at its website, www.benton.org.