A National Blueprint for Technology and the Public Good

The Alliance for Public Technology (APT), as part of its campaign to promote high speed Internet as a force for positive change in people's lives, hosted a brown bag lunch on last month with One Economy Corporation.

The main topic of discussion was One Economy's new report on the benefits of high speed Internet for low-income populations. "A National Blueprint for Technology and the Public Good" states,

[A]s technology has made the lives of many Americans easier, the benefits of broadband have failed to reach millions of low-income Americans who increasingly find themselves left behind in this ever-expanding information age we live in. According to a recent study by Leichtman Research on broadband usage rates in this country, less than 45 percent of Americans earning under $30,000 per year have in-home access to a high-speed internet connection. This is unacceptable and more must be done to ensure that all Americans benefit from the power of technology.

The featured speaker at the event was One Economy Corporation's Vice President of Public Policy Waldo McMillan, who declared,

"Broadband empowers people. It does change lives because it opens up a new world that people otherwise wouldn't have seen."

McMillan said One Economy released the report because their successful local projects could be effective on a national level with the right kind of policy support. The three key elements of this approach, according to the report, are universal access, developing new technologies, and expanding and encouraging civic participation.

On universal access, the report stresses that access to high speed Internet "a crucial first step to other social benefits," and it therefore must be available to everyone. McMillan emphasized that universal access does not only mean affordable high speed Internet but also affordable devices and equipment.

Regarding new technologies, the report states that in order for access to high speed Internet to be an effective tool in people's lives, there needs to be something worthwhile and relevant to their lives available through it. As an example, McMillan described a particular One Economy program that connects diabetes patients with one another and allows them to help each other monitor their blood sugar levels.

Finally, the report outlines the potential to develop a way to use the Internet as a tool for civic participation through the creation of a content provider that serve the public interest, similar to National Public Radio and TV's Public Broadcasting Service.

It's clear that high speed Internet offers a host of benefits for the American people. But this potential cannot be realized without achieving the first and most basic goal of universal access to high speed Internet.