FCC AND USDA TO CONDUCT REGIONAL EDUCATIONAL WORKSHOPS (0)
Posted 26 February, 2008 in News
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) will conduct four educational workshops focused on rural broadband during 2008. The workshops will provide communities and organizations in rural America seeking to bring the benefits of broadband to their communities with an opportunity to learn about the resources, programs, and policies of the FCC and USDA.
The topics to be covered at the workshops include: the different technology platforms used to provide broadband services, USDA funding for broadband deployment, the FCC’s Rural Health Care Pilot program, and wireless spectrum access. The workshops will also provide communities and organizations an opportunity to share their experiences about broadband deployment in rural and hard-to-reach areas.
One rural broadband educational workshop will be held in each of the four regions of the country – Northeast/Mid-Atlantic, South/Midwest, Central, and West – according to the following schedule:
April 30, 2008: Blacksburg, Virginia
June 19, 2008: Saginaw, Michigan
September 18, 2008: Austin, Texas
November 20, 2008: Phoenix, Arizona
The information provided will be similar at each workshop. The workshops will be held free of charge; however, attendees will be responsible for providing their own transportation, lodging, and meals.
If you are interested in attending a particular workshop, please register no later than February 25, 2008. Below is the information required to register:
o Community/Organization Name
o Address
o Phone Number
o Email Address
o Contact Person
o Workshop Location You Wish to Attend
o Number of Expected Attendees
o Description of Accommodations Required for People with Disabilities
(Reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities will be made available upon request.)
There are several ways for you to register for a workshop:
o Online. Go to the FCC’s website at http://wireless.fcc.gov/outreach/ruralbroadband/workshop and fill in the online registration form.
o By Email. Send the information outlined above in an email to ruralworkshop@fcc.gov.
o By Telephone. Call (877) 480-3201 and press Option 1.
For TTY, dial (717) 338-2824.
o By U.S. Mail. Send a letter with the information outlined above to:
Federal Communications Commission
Wireless Telecommunications Bureau
ATTN: Chelsea Fallon
445 12th Street, SW
Washington, DC 20554
A community or organization can register for only one workshop. The contact person listed in the registration will receive additional information at a later day regarding the workshop selected, including the exact time and venue, as well as a detailed agenda.
For additional information about the workshops, please visit the FCC’s website at http://wireless.fcc.gov/outreach/ruralbroadband/; send an email to ruralworkshop@fcc.gov; or contact Chelsea Fallon at Chelsea.Fallon@fcc.gov or (202) 418-7991, or Cecilia Sulhoff at Cecilia.Sulhoff@fcc.gov or (202) 418-0587. Further information on rural programs is available at a local USDA Rural Development office and on the USDA’s web site at http://www.rurdev.usda.gov.
FCC commissioners bash NTIA’s 2007 U.S. broadband report (0)
Posted 26 February, 2008 in News
By Traci Patterson
CedMagazine.com - February 01, 2008
Broadband is growing dramatically in the U.S., according to a report from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), but some FCC commissioners disagree.
The report, entitled, “Networked Nation: Broadband in America, 2007” (download here), claims that the NTIA’s technology, regulatory and fiscal policies have stimulated innovation and competition and encouraged investment in the U.S. broadband market, contributing to significantly increased accessibility of broadband services.
Four years ago, President Bush established a national goal of universal, affordable broadband access for all Americans.
The NTIA said that according to the FCC’s 2006 data, broadband service was available in 99 percent of the nation’s zip codes, encompassing 99 percent of the nation’s population. The administration also said that since President Bush took office, the total number of broadband lines in the U.S. has grown by more than 1,100 percent – from almost 6.8 million lines in December 2000 to 82.5 million in December 2006, according to the most recent FCC data.
In addition, the NTIA said that by December 2006, 91.5 percent of zip codes had three or more competing service providers, and that more than 50 percent of the nation’s zip codes had six or more competitors.
Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein responded to the report with the following statement: “With only half of adult Americans participating in the broadband age and U.S. consumers paying far more than citizens in other countries for less bandwidth, this report appears to be missing some key chapters. Noticeably absent is any coherent strategy going forward.
> > > More: http://www.cedmagazine.com/FCC-commissioners-bash-NTIA-2007-US-broadband-report.aspx
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