Rep. Boucher holds hearing on broadband stimulus programs

The House Subcommittee on Communications, Technology and the Internet held a hearing to examine issues surrounding the broadband programs created under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act on Thursday, April 2.

The hearing focused on efforts of NTIA, FCC and RUS - the three agencies that are overseeing the dispersal of broadband program funds - and the reaction from the public and non-profit sectors.

Congressman Rick Boucher, who chairs the subcommittee, praised the money in the economic stimulus bill that goes towards broadband:

"We want to ensure that everyone has access to broadband, and we also want to ensure that everyone has access to broadband at meaningful speeds and affordable prices."

Boucher urged the NTIA to develop rules -- particularly related to "nondiscrimination and interconnection obligations" -- that preserve an open Internet, are not overly burdensome to providers, and can be put in place quickly. "We do not want to deter any applicants," he noted.

From the non-profit sector, Senior Vice President of Speed Matters partner One Economy Nicol Turner-Lee's testimony made the case that the reasons people who have broadband access don't subscribe are usability, relevance and affordability. According to Turner-Lee:

"...Our first goal should be to create a digital ecosystem comprised of the home, school, community centers, libraries and workforce development centers and even mobile devices that support a culture of use around broadband. Our second goal should be focused on promoting broadband with a purpose that educates, motivates and empowers people to take control of their own lives. In our work, we have seen the power of broadband give low-income people tools for improving their education, their health and their economic lives."

Brian Mefford, Chairman and CEO of ConnectedNation stressed the importance of broadband mapping. Mefford argued that the process should be a collaborative public-private partnership approach that was the basis of ConnectedNation's success.

Mefford provided examples of states that used a detailed method of broadband mapping at the household level to find out just how many residents actually had access to high speed Internet. In Minnesota, using alternative methods such as census blocks mapping strategies, 45,000 houses without access to broadband connections would have been misrepresented. Mefford pointed out that ConnectedNation's maps allow consumers and policymakers to access address-level information about broadband availability online.

Boucher concluded:

"It is also important to keep in mind that the stimulus money is not our national broadband policy. It is an important first step in getting broadband out to more unserved and underserved areas, but the Subcommittee will continue to be actively involved in looking at ways to achieve universal broadband deployment, including by making broadband eligible for universal service fund support. Among other things, the Recovery Act directs the FCC to provide Congress with a national broadband plan within a year, which will also be helpful in setting our comprehensive long-term broadband policy."

Also speaking at the event were David Villano of RUS, Mark Seifert of NITA, Scott Deutchman of the FCC, Hon. Rachelle Chong of the California Public Utilities Commission and Jonathan Large who is a Dan River District Supervisor.

Oversight of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Committee on Energy and Commerce)

Sen. Boucher's opening remarks (Committee on Energy and Commerce)

Testimony of Nicol Turner-Lee (Committee on Energy and Commerce)

Testimony of Brian Mefford (Committee on Energy and Commerce)