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Broadband is the Answer

Broadband deployment will create a stronger foundation for economic growth according to Charles Benton, Chairman of the Benton Foundation and Public Media Inc.

Benton points to President Barack Obama's recent address on the economy, in which the President said:

Economic competition is going to be much more fierce and the winners of this competition will be the countries that have the most educated workers, a serious commitment to research and technology, and access to quality infrastructure like roads and airports and high-speed rail and high-speed Internet.

Broadband is the answer to recent economic and technological setbacks, according to Benton. Despite significant strides in the deployment and adoption of broadband in past years, he believes that as critical and laudable as these efforts have been, we can't stop there.

Calling for an evaluation of the progress made by American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grantees, Benton said:

We should ensure that the evaluation focuses not only on the quality of infrastructure development, but also tracks the adoption of broadband. Evaluation can help us understand which applications communities gravitate towards first, why other applications might not be used as much, and what support services truly aid with the adoption of broadband.

Benton also called for Universal Service Fund (USF) reform to shift supporting legacy telephone networks to directly supporting high-capacity broadband networks.

With an ever-evolving digital economy Americans need reliable Internet connections. Bringing universal broadband to the most vulnerable areas in the U.S. is a requirement in the 21st century economy and is necessary if the United States wants to maintain its status as a world leader in technology.

Sputnik 2: Time for Broadband (Benton Foundation)