The ubiquity principle in the IP transition

In December, 2013, the Benton Foundation published The New Network Compact: Making The IP Transition Work For Vulnerable Communities, which laid out 10 principles for moving from traditional telephone service to broadband.

This week, Benton posted a piece by one of the Network Compact writers, Ted Gotsch, on the principle of ubiquity. As he defines it, “First and foremost, people must have affordable access to high-speed IP networks to make the transition successful.”

As Gotsch says, “The idea of voice service for all has been a goal going back to the earliest days of telephone service.” Enacted into the 1934 Communications Act and the 1996 Telecommunications Act, the author sees no reason to discard the principle just because the technology is changing.

He quotes from the FCC which said that its “end goal is to ensure the ubiquitous and affordable availability of broadband for all Americans.”

How do we do that? “Specifically,” writes Gotsch, “the FCC should craft any new rules and policies in a manner that ensures, to the extent possible, that the transition will be instrumental in closing the digital divide. The FCC should also consider the importance of focusing on broadband adoption, education and training when crafting IP transition trials and policies.”

Speed Matters fully agrees with this telecommunications principle, whether it’s called ubiquity or universal access. All Americans need to be connected.

The New Network Compact: Making The IP Transition Work For Vulnerable Communities (Benton Foundation, Dec., 2013)

Principles for a Successful IP Transition: Ubiquity (Benton’s, Jan. 6, 2014)