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U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, speaking today in Dawsonville, Ga., said that $2 billion in grants and loans directed at broadband access buildouts will be dispersed over the next 75 days.  Biden’s initial announcement includes $182 million for 18 projects in 17 states awarded through programs administered by the departments of Commerce and Agriculture. Those projects have been matched by $46 million in private investment, the administration said.  

The grants announced today will fund both last-mile projects to connect remote homes in rural areas, and "middle-mile" infrastructure to connect communities to the Internet backbone.   This money is to be spent for new network deployments.  They will also include programs to promote broadband adoption and to fund public computing centers.  Besides Georgia, other projects in the first set will be in Maine, New Hampshire, Ohio, Arizona and Alaska.

The U.S. Departments of Commerce and Agriculture will award the remainder of the $2 billion on a rolling basis over the next 75 days.  So at long last, the dispersal of the $7.2 billion in total broadband stimulus funding set aside in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act begins in earnest. The agencies overseeing the funds -NTIA and RUS- have already made modest grants to organizations in 18 states and the District of Columbia for efforts to map broadband coverage. (NTIA and RUS officials had told a panel of Senators in October that the initial awards would be delayed due to a flood of applications for grants and loans seeking a total of $28 billion.  That was more than seven times the amount that was made available in the first tranche of funding.)  

Joined by Gov. Sonny Perdue, Biden told a crowd of workers, business leaders and lawmakers that creating the networks could help smaller businesses compete globally.   "We’re forming the tools that will fashion the work of the 21st century," Biden said. "We are laying the foundation for the economy of tomorrow."  He also tied broadband to the future success of the country’s manufacturing industry and middle class.

"We were losing ground for the past 25 years in manufacturing," Biden said. "We don’t want an economy built on another bubble. We want to do what our grandparents did … and build on a solid foundation."  He also tied broadband to the future success of the country’s manufacturing industry and middle class.

"These critical broadband investments will create tens of thousands of jobs and stimulate the economy in the near term," the White House National Economic Council said in a report accompanying today’s announcement. "By providing broadband-enabled opportunities to previously underserved communities, these investments will also lay the foundation for long-term regional economic development and foster a digitally literate workforce that can compete in the new knowledge-based economy."

The administration plans to award a total of $2 billion in grants and loans on a rolling basis over the next 75 days as it starts doling out the first round of stimulus funding for broadband, which Biden said could be used to help struggling rural areas like Dawsonville with distance learning, telemedicine and real-time pricing for farmers.

The awards are targeted to accommodate four primary missions:

• Middle Mile: $121.6 million to build and improve connections to communities lacking broadband access.
• Last Mile: $51.4 million to connect end users like homes, hospitals and schools to the middle mile network points.
• Public Computing: $7.3 million to expand computer center capacity for public use in libraries, community colleges and other public venues.
• Sustainable Adoption: $2.4 million to fund innovative projects that promote broadband demand "with population groups where the technology has traditionally been under-utilized."

The Department of Agriculture also announced $53.8 million in funding for eight projects on Thursday, and the Commerce Department announced $129 million in funding for 10 projects. Those projects together also will put up another $46 million in matching dollars.

The Recovery Act requires NTIA and RUS to allocate all of the $7.2 billion by Sept. 30, 2010.

For more information:  http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iK8SjjFiVfL5Fm-aDChr9gB9_Z9gD9CLA4BG7

Archived 4G webcasts and presentations by Clearwire and Sprint at Oct 27th Sprint Developers Conference:

http://2md.hosted.panopto.com/CourseCast/Viewer/Default.aspx?id=f400cb3c-dbdf-414a-bd31-150d460758a1

http://2md.hosted.panopto.com/CourseCast/Viewer/Default.aspx?id=1cd37bbb-d822-4637-bf18-2a254282e688

Also see this article and comments at end:

http://viodi.com/2009/12/01/assessment-of-mobile-wimax-in-the-u-s/

Here’s a summary of three Clearwire presentations:

1. Clearwire’s Scott Richardson confidently stated that “spectrum trumps technology” and that “the spectrum owned will separate WiMAX from LTE.”

Mr. Richardson made another interesting observation: “Most 4G wireless networks are limited by self interference (i.e. Self NEXT), rather than how far the signal can travel.” We interpreted this to mean that mobile WiMAX does not produce the self interference than LTE, as we don’t know of any other “4G wireless networks.”

In a somewhat ironic statement, Mr. Richardson said, “new applications drive bandwidth consumption.” With an average of only 100ms round trip latency, developers are able to deliver “more snappy applications, at higher speeds than 3G.” We wonder if that performance advantage, by itself, will be sufficient to entice application developers. especially with no hand held devices available?

Continuing, Mr. Richardson very confidently stated, “We have a super fast (wireless broadband) network which you can think of as a bit factory” for all IP traffic- for both households and machine-to-machine (M2M2) applications. The bits will go to retail or wholesale customers (MVNOs). In the future, we will have other wholesale customers that will use CLEAR as a backbone network. Our evolving business model(s) will enable a whole new set of applications. This will enable a richer web experience for mobile users. Clearwire will have U.S. nationwide coverage by 2011 and will be able to fill the broadband mobile Internet vortex. By 2011, the killer 4G application will be cloud computing on the go.”

2. Clearwire Developer Program Initiatives:

Disclaimer:  many of the items described are "works in progress

Clearwire hopes that the two platforms described here and others to come (see below) will be exploited by independent software developers to build new applications that will make CLEAR service more attractive to subscribers.

According to its Developers web site
( http://developer.clear.com/innovation), Clearwire now offers two types of platforms to provide its customers with an end-to-end solution to develop, implement, and activate Clearwire’s suite of services.

“The Clearwire Location Platform, or CLP, is for developers with location-based services. Developers can leverage Clearwire’s enhanced and dynamic location interfaces to develop cutting-edge location-based services that are an integral part of their website or application.” More about location in the section below.

“The Clearwire Client Connectivity Platform is for developers who want a platform-independent framework to connect to the entire WiMAX network using a device that complies with the WiMAX Forum-supported Common API. The Client Connectivity Platform leverages a new WiMAX Connection Manager and provides public APIs for developers to manage their devices and connections.”
 

3.  Functional modules available (soon) to apps developers and device makers

At the October 27th Sprint Conference 4G Developers” session, Clearwire disclosed many functional modules or capabilities that developers could use to create new apps for mobile WiMAX. The common API was said to be implemented in WiMAX I/O drivers from Intel, Comsys, Samsung and Beceem chip sets. There may be other WiMAX silicon vendors also implementing that API. The new modules (platforms?) that applications will be able to use include:

–Location*: client/server to determine device’s location; server/server to determine location of a device owned by a friend or family member (see details below).
–Access Authentication: using a secure mutual certificate.
-RF Awareness: will be very important for mobile video apps. Signal strength, signal quality, transmit power and other RF parameters will be made available to the application/ video player to enable it to dynamically adjust resolution, frame or data rate (perhaps even change the encoding/decoding/compression scheme?). Note that in a mobile video streaming or 2 way real time video chat/conferencing environment, the received signal quality is constantly changing. So dynamic video parameter adaptation is essential in providing a good video experience to the mobile user.
-Data Session continuity: keep data sessions up while switching between WiMAX, WiFi, EVDO/ CDMA
-Device Management: will be device dependent
-Connection Management*: Connecting and disconnecting a device to the CLEAR network
-Diagnostics: for enhanced troubleshooting
-Service Level QOS: is targeted for end of 2010 or 2011. It will allow the application to request a “better level of service” for selected traffic types, e.g. voice, real time video conferencing, emergency/1st responders, etc.

*These modules are described on the CLEAR developers web site

Clearwire sees location as a key enabler for the types of services that take advantage of WiMAX bandwidth and mobility.

-Client/Server location is based on the Call Sector (1/3 of a Cell) that the device is physically present. No GPS or client hardware is required. The result provided is a longitude/ lattitude for the center of the Sector. A corresponding street address may be optionally requested. Acccuracy was said to be withing 400m to 800m. Computation time is < 1 second.

-Server/Server location allows one server to ask another for a remote device location using the latter’s IP or 802.16 MAC address. The resulting response is the longitude/ lattitude for the center of the Sector the remote device is in.

-Assisted GPS capability is targeted for sometime in 2010. In this scenario, GPS queries the network service to more quickly fix the device location.

-Multi-lateration is targeted for late 2010. In this situation, a given device type is connected to more than one Base Station located in different Sectors.

The IEEE 802.16 Working Group met in its Session #64 the week of 16 November 2009 in Atlanta, GA, USA. The IEEE 802.16 Session #64 Report summarizes the outcomes
http://ieee802.org/16/meetings/mtg64/report.html

–From IEEE Contribution 802.16-09/0023 -Project Planning Adhoc Report (by Jose Puthenkulam; 2009-11-17):

Smart Grid:
An IEEE 802.16 GRIDMAN Study Group (SG) on "Greater Reliability In Disrupted Metropolitan Area Networks" has been created. The proposal was approved by the IEEE 802.16 WG and the IEEE 802 Executive Committee. It will study the synergies among IEEE 802.16 wireless metropolitan area network technologies aimed at Smart Grid, Public Safety, Avionics, Airport Surface Communication, and Surveillance applications. The SG needs to create an adhoc/plan for engaging with the NIST Smart Grid project and co-ordinate with other IEEE 802 WGs on this topic. It will first meet at IEEE 802.16 Session #65.

Also see:

• IEEE 802.16-09/0068r2
  Draft PAR and 5 Criteria For Potential Greater Reliability In Disrupted Metropolitan Area Network (GRIDMAN) Study Group (NRR Ad Hoc Committee; 2009-11-19)

TV Whitespaces:
Entertain new project extending 802.16h for TV Whitespace applications including mobility support.

802.16m MIBs:
WG should discuss the need for a MIBs project

Network Robustness and Reliability (NRR):
Should explore links between NRR and Emergency Services SG

New Air Interface enhancements for capacity/coverage

Also see:
IEEE Contribution 802.16-09/0019r1

Future Wireless Broadband Networks: Challenges and Possibilities (by Shilpa Talwar, Kerstin Johnsson, Nageen Himayat, Jose Puthenkulam, Geng Wu, Caroline Chan, Feng Xue, Minnie Ho, Rath Vannithamby, Ozgur Oyman, Wendy Wong, Qinghua Li, Guangjie Li, Sumeet Sandhu, Sassan Ahmadi, Hujun Yin, Yang-seok Choi; 2009-11-17)

This and other IEEE 802.16 documents may be accessed free of charge (unlike the WiMAX Forum where only members can download documents):

http://ieee802.org/16/docs/index.html#09_0069

To accelerate its transition from an optical transport vendor to an Internet Protocol network equipment company, Tellabs is acquiring mobile packet core maker WiChorus for $165 million in net cash. Tellabs counts 43 of the top 50 service providers as customers, with their IP mobile backhaul products deployed by 120 network operators. The acquisition extends Tellabs wireless backhaul products to a fast growing adjacent market- gateways for mobile IP traffic (such as the ASN Gateway for mobile WiMAX). That market is expected to reach $2.6B in 2013, sporting a better than 22% compound annual growth rate. The transaction is expected to close no later than February 2010.

"We are very excited about this acquisition and believe that, together (the combined company), will revolutionize the mobile Internet," said Tellabs Marketing Communications Manager Ariana Nikitas. She further stated the acquisition would extend Tellabs mobile backhaul product portfolio (see CHART below) to a fast growing adjacent market. "The resulting products will enable service providers to deliver richer experiences to mobile end users," she said.

Analysis:

Tellabs recognizes the mobile Internet is taking off and WiChorus has a product their service provider customers very much need. Sales of smartphones are growing more than 30% a year while netbook sales have been very strong. People are spending more time surfing the Internet while on the move. As a result, Tellabs’ mobile customers expect mobile data traffic to grow 30% to 50% a year for the foreseeable future. AT&T recently indicated its mobile traffic has quadrupled over the past year.

Such high growth demands scalable, next-generation network architectures to deliver 3G and 4G multi-media and video services. This acquisition will enable the combined company to help facilitate delivery of those services, while providing richer experiences to mobile Internet users. It will enable Tellabs to compete with Ericsson, Alcatel-Lucent, and Cisco (which recently announced its acquisition of Starent Networks) in the 4G/3G mobile packet core market.

While Tellabs spends 17% of its revenues on R & D, they found it more expedient to acquire Wichorus’ mobile packet core technology than develop it internally. They believe this will make them more competitive in the mobile backhaul market. Independent of that, Tellabs has a very high opinion of WiChorus’ mobility management and routing technology.

On a conference call today, Tellabs CEO Robert W. Pullen said the Wichorus platform was a "purpose- built 4G (WiMAX, LTE) architecture that is backward compatible with 3G (GGSN, HSPA, HSPA+)." As a result, it can be sold to WiMAX operators now and 3G or LTE operators in the future. Tellabs stated there were two potential service provider customer types for the WiChorus platform:

– Those that are optimizing their 3G mobile networks and evolving to 4G (LTE).

– Those that have leapfrogged 3G to deploy 4G (Mobile WiMAX and LTE).

Wichorus’ "best in class" deep packet inspection capability and performance was particularly attractive to Tellabs. It was said to produce much less throughput degradation than competitor mobile packet core products. Tellabs claims that the WiChorus 4G packet core product offers eight times more throughput than competitive offerings.

The Wichorus SmartCore™ platform was said to address the unique requirements of the mobile Internet:

• Includes a full range of mobile IP products (from low entry price to highly scalable) for applications including GGSN, LTE and WiMax, plus new application enablement with superior DPI capability.
• Offers 8 times more throughput, 4 times more simultaneous Internet connections and active users, compared with competitive platforms in gateway applications.
• Uniquely combines world-class application analytics with a mobile core gateway for improved traffic engineering and network optimization.
• Enables customers to analyze and monetize more than 400 of the top mobile Internet applications.
• Makes mobile networks content-aware and context-aware, with personalized application-awareness.
• Outperforms other platforms in delivering mobile Internet capacity. For example, competitors’ capacity significantly degrades (as much as 30% to 50%) during deep-packet inspection (DPI).
• Delivers new and differentiated applications such as Internet offload and distributed LTE gateway. The SmartCore™ platform can offload as much as 70% of traffic at the network edge, increasing core network efficiency and improving user experiences. As a result, customers can save as much as 50% in capital expenses, compared with the present method of operation.

The WiChorus ASN Gateway is being sold to Clearwire and trialed by other mobile WiMAX network providers. Tellabs CEO Pullen said that the company’s next product will be for "business services delivery" using femtocells and picocells.

When asked to comment on future product plans, Ms. Nikitas declined, stating that the acquisition had not yet taken place and could not comment till the merger had actually been consumated.

Tellabs has a large portfolio of transport and network management products for wireless backhaul. These include:

• Tellabs® 6300 Managed Transport System
• Tellabs® 7100 Optical Transport Series
• Tellabs® 7300 Metro Ethernet Switching Series
• Tellabs® 8100 Managed Access System
• Tellabs® 8600 Managed Edge System
• Tellabs® 8800 Multiservice Router Series
• Tellabs® Intelligent Network Management

Opinion:

We think this is a very good move for both companies and we predict more acquistions and consolidation in the network equipment market.  In particular, watch Ciena which has optical backhaul products, but nothing for the "3G/4G mobile packet core."

Reference:    http://www.tellabs.com/news/2009/index.cfm/nr/79.cfm

In a keynote address at the CTIA Wireless IT & Entertainment convention in San Diego, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski outlined steps the agency is taking to provide more spectrum and remove obstacles to help speed the development and expansion of next generation wireless networks. Will such measures be effective?

FCC Chairman’s Remarks at CTIA 2009

For several years, Wireless Internet Service Providers (WISPs), rural and independent telcos and MSOs have been urging the FCC and U.S.  government to free up licensed spectrum to enable them to build faster, more robust and reliable wireless access networks.  Both fixed and mobile WiMAX players would be major beneficiaries of this initiative as WiMAX technology would likely be used by network operators to provide much better wireless broadband service than is possible with unlicensed spectrum, which is prone to interference, coverage gaps and other problems. 

The CTIA – The Wireless Association® ("CTIA") has recently petitioning the FCC to reallocate 800 MHz of spectrum for wireless broadband providers by 2015 (see next section of this article).  At his October 7th CTIA Conference keynote address, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski made reference to that petition by saying that a lack of licensed spectrum is "a looming crisis" as U.S.  consumers increasingly rely on mobile devices such as smart phones, netbooks, eReaders, etc. that require heavy wireless data usage. 

In his address, Genachowski said that the FCC would examine how to reallocate spectrum for wireless Internet services and look towards ways to promote secondary markets for airwaves, giving companies that hold spectrum licenses the right to lease those licenses to others.  "No sector of the communications industry holds greater potential to enhance America’s economic competitiveness, spur job creation, and improve the quality of our lives," Genachowski said.  "My goals with regard to mobile are the same that define and drive all our work: fostering innovation and investment, promoting competition, empowering and protecting consumers, all in an effort to help ensure the U.S.  has a world-leading communications infrastructure for the 21st century.  As this audience knows, it takes years to reallocate spectrum and put it to use.  And there are no easy pickings on the spectrum chart."

Genachowski went on to say that the FCC would also try to clear obstacles for wireless network operators trying to install new 4G networks, including speeding up approvals for new cellphone tower construction, which often are met with local community resistance.  In this regard, the FCC will propose a federal "shot-clock" on tower-siting, while still being sensitive to local jurisdictions.  The siting of towers has long been an obstacle for wireless carriers and tower companies as subscribers embrace mobile services, but city and local governments often don’t want the accompanying infrastructure needed for those services.  Genachowski said he understands that Internet providers and wireless network operators need to manage their networks.  "We recognize there are differences between wired and wireline network technologies," said Genachowski.  "They are different networks and because they are different, I have said the rules that are adopted need to allow for reasonable network management.  But we need to have clear rules of the road for everyone regardless of how they access the Internet."

In a press release issued shortly after Genachowski made his keynote remarks, AT&T Wireless Division CEO Ralph de la Vega called for a fact-based discussion with the FCC.  "Before we begin ‘fixing’ what isn’t broken, we need to be thoughtful about the consequences," said de la Vega. 

In reaction to the Commissioner’s speech, Sprint issued a press release that supports Mr. Genachowski’s recognition of the importance of mobile broadband networks.  "Sprint Nextel shares with FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski the view that American business and consumers benefit from the deployment of 4G mobile broadband networks.  At Sprint, we are proud to be the first and only nationwide wireless carrier to offer 4G (i.e.  mobile WiMAX) in the United States.  For Sprint customers, 4G isn’t the future, 4G is here now.  Sprint 4G is available in 16 markets today and we expect to offer Sprint 4G service to 120 million people in 80 markets by the end of 2010."

To read the entire article, including my editorial comment, please see:

http://www.wimax.com/commentary/blog/blog-2009/october-2009/ctia-wireless-it-e-2009-fcc-plans-to-free-spectrum-remove-barriers-1009

To commemorate their new book – Total Recall– the Computer History museum recently hosted a lecture and "fireside chat" on the subject of eMemory and its ability to reshape our lives.    This article is an account of that lecture and discussion, as well as a personal perspective on the subject matter.

For many years, Microsoft Researchers Gordon Bell (x-DEC VP) and Jim Gemmell have been exploring ways to record and easily access every moment in a person’s life, i.e. the proverbial  trail of data that people leave behind.  Since 1998, Gordon Bell- the principal researcher at the Microsoft Research Silicon Valley Campus- has digitally archived every aspect of his life. Conversations, phone calls, photos, CDs, articles, home videos, e-mail — every piece of data Bell has created or consumed has been squirreled away into a database. In effect, he has offloaded the past 11 years of his life into a comprehensive electronic memory bank. This effort was the genesis of the MyLifeBits project at Microsoft Research.

Mr. Bell’s decade-long data dump has convinced Bell that the frailty of bio-memory — what everyone else has to work with — is about to become a thing of the past. He claims we are about to usher in an era where your every moment is recorded.  Will we be able to find the signal (important and relevent information) through the noise (of extraneous recorded information)?  That remains to be seen.
 
Advances in digital storage, digital recording and digital search are converging in a synergistic way to enable the e-memory revolution, according to the authors.  People are already awash in a sea of information.  If they are not already overloaded with files, papers, books, periodicals, etc they will soon be.  Already portions of our lives are digitally captured every day. From the constant stream of e-mail to the GPS-stamped pictures we take on our Smartphones, pieces of ourselves are being stored on Facebook or YouTube or massive portable hard drives.  How to make sense of it all?

The key to unlocking e-memory’s transformative power lies in harnessing mountains of recorded data to find the subject matter of interest.  For example, Mr. Bell, who has a heart condition, tracks his weight daily and monitors the data pumped out by his pacemaker to get a changing snapshot of his well-being. The recorded information could be used to create a picture of one’s overall health.   The ability to  data mine our past would enable us to chart how much exercise we have been doing now in comparison with what we did four years ago. Such graphic tools and related tables could aid in medical diagnosis,  treatment of diseases and ailments, and preventive health care –  potentially a very useful tool for physicians and patients.
 
But what of the potential downsides when bio-memory shifts to bits and bytes? A hint of Big Brother lurks behind the notion that every aspect of life is recorded and stored, the authors say. What if the stored information falls into the wrong hands?  How can the information be protected?  How can the legitimate user be authenticated?  What about backup in case of fire, earthquake or terrorist attack?  Many unresolved questions arise.  Among them are:  access authentication, storage server robustness, file formats, security, client to server upstream and downstream bandwidth requirements, categorizing and cataloging stored information, memory search algorithms and retrieval strategies.
 

”What we’re doing is not really aimed at putting your whole life on Facebook or MySpace or wherever,” Bell said. “This is a memory aid and a recording aid, something you utilize at a personal level.”  

But there’s another danger (besides the privacy issue) with such a personal memory aid;  we could get so caught up in our own memories that we quit living in the present. Already, many of us reminisce about the "good old days."  Could many of us with access to e-memory live in the past?

While the e-memory revolution might be inevetible, as the authors claim, the privacy,  security, and technical implementation issues might delay its onset for longer than most might expect.  Caveat emptor.

Addendum: 

In an exclusive article, Clearwire details logistics, goals and objectives for the "4G" CLEAR Developer’s Network in Silicon Valley. Largest 4G WiMAX "sandbox" for developers covers more than 20 square miles in Santa Clara, Mountain View and Palo Alto, California.

At the September 17th Telecom Council Carrier Connections conference, Clearwire’s Allen Flanagan provided an overview and short video on the company’s "4G" mobile WiMAX Innovation Network – a pre-commercial network for mobile WiMAX application development and testing in Silicon Valley.  The network went live only two days prior -on September 15th.  The development focus was said to be "4G" Mobile Applications.  These will be described later in this article.

The CLEAR developer network is a precursor to commercial service planned for the San Francisco Bay Area¹ in 2010.  It will cover more than 20 square miles in Santa Clara, Mountain View and parts of downtown Palo Alto, California.  The current coverage footprint includes the local campuses of Intel and Google, two founding Innovation Network supporters who have also commenced their own internal 4G application development programs.  Cisco’s campus will receive coverage in the coming months as the network expands.  Clearwire will update the coverage area maps over time

After reviewing terms and conditions, qualified software application developers that live or work in Silicon Valley can register for free mobile WiMAX service, as long as they buy or own a Clearwire approved terminal (see list below).  Bright House, Comcast, Sprint, and Time Warner Cable will join Cisco, Intel and Google in support of Clearwire’s mobile WiMAX application development initiative.  All those companies except Cisco are strategic investors in Clearwire.  The first four plan to resell the CLEAR service, so they have a lot to gain.  All of the participants will aid in promoting the program and have deployed their own respective development resources into the network (e.g.  RAN equipment, IP NGN systems, devices, software, etc). 

Infrastructure providers include: Motorola, Samsung, Huawei (these three vendors supply RAN equipment), and Cisco (Core IP NGN Network). 

Editor’s Note:  Allen could not confirm that all of these infrastructure vendors would be involved in the Innovation Network instance.

Components, modules and applications were said to be available from: Intel, Google, Cisco, and Beceem (chip set).  Netbooks with embedded mobile WiMAX interfaces are available from Lenovo, Dell, Toshiba, Samsung, and Fujitsu for use in the program.  The new Samsung Mondi MID handheld is also supported on the Innovation Network. 

Editors Note:  only the mobile devices listed are eligible for use on the CLEAR Innovation network.  Home modems and CLEAR VOIP products and service are not available on the Innovation Network.

To read the rest of this important article, please go to:

http://www.wimax.com/commentary/blog/blog-2009/september-2009/clear-4g-wimax-innovation-network-open-for-developers-in-silicon-valley-0920

Professor Allen Hammond, Director of the Broadband Institute of California, offers a perspective on the importance of broadband access and a prescription for making it available and affordable for all U.S. residents.  Recommendations for Digital Inclusion, U.S. Broadband Policy, a national wireless network, funding and measurement tools are also included in this interview. 

Most of us take broadband Internet access for granted.  We watch videos, play music, multi-media games, upload and download large files without even thinking about it.  But not everyone in the U.S. is that fortunate.  A large number of the U.S. population lives in rural or “underserved” areas where broadband access is not available.  Many low income, inner city residents can’t afford cable or DSL based broadband access.   And municipal wireless networks that were promised to provide such access for cities and counties have been delayed or cancelled. 

Those without affordable access to broadband are at a competitive disadvantage; they are at risk of being marginalized and left behind, as more and more mandatory services migrate to the broadband Internet.  Today, most skilled jobs require PC and web based interfacing skills, which are more likely to be learned by those that have broadband Internet access.  Government services (such as Unemployment and Disability claims), education and training (including webinars), health care, travel information, and banking are offered on-line and have become pervasive on the web.  But without broadband access, these services are not conveniently or easily available.  What if you’re bank branch office has been recently closed and you’re told to do most of your banking on-line?  What if you’re applying for a job that requires web surfing, quick access to information, uploading or downloading .ppt or zip files from web sites?  Not good if you don’t have broadband Internet access or related skills.  Those that don’t will be left behind. 

Professor Hammond firmly believes that “Broadband access is a civil rights issue.”  It should not matter if one lives in a sparsely populated or rural area, an inner city, or a suburb.  Rich or poor shouldn’t matter either.  Broadband access should be made available to all that want it at affordable rates.

What’s Digital Inclusion and Why Is It Important?

The Wired for Wireless? Summary Report¹ uses the term “Digital Inclusion” to denote the ability of everyone to have access to broadband and the related information technology.  Specifically it states:  “Digital Inclusion means that everyone — regardless of who they are or where they live — can participate in and take advantage of the economic, educational, health, and civic opportunities afforded by broadband and related information technology. 

More than just access to the Internet, Digital Inclusion means that all stakeholders are engaged in the planning and implementation of technology systems; that all potential users can access the technology and know how to use it; and that with these technologies come more services, increased information, and greater community access. As digital technology is increasingly used for educational, employment, health, commercial, and informational purposes, Digital Inclusion is critical for full engagement, participation, and opportunity in the social, economic, and civic life of society.” 

The report found that “wireless networks are effectively supporting government operations and services. Wireless technology is being used for a large range of government tasks: traffic light control, meter reading, data transport from regional offices to headquarters, video surveillance, communication between emergency vehicles, and much more. These projects have proven successful when jurisdictions commit funding toward the deployment and maintenance of the network.   Project research indicates that many local governments in California pursued or are pursuing a wireless network in order to bring broadband access to underserved communities. In most of these cases, the wireless networks were intended to enhance or fill in gaps left by existing deployment.”  However, the deployment of most of those CA municipal wireless networks, e.g. Wireless Silicon Valley, San Francisco, Fresno, etc have gone into hibernation status or they’re just plain dead.

U.S. Government Broadband Stimulus and Plan

The U.S. is one of the few developed countries that does not have a national broadband plan and up till this year, has done little to accelerate or drive broadband deployment.  The federal government has taken the position that broadband Internet is the job of the private sector.  This is in sharp contrast to the public sector build out of roads, highways and bridges.   

On February 17th, 2009, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act) became law.  This was the government’s first step to making broadband more available in the U.S.  In particular, the Act allocated $7.2 billion in grant and loan funds for broadband build-outs.   

The complete article can be read at:   http://viodi.com/2009/09/18/affordable-broadband/

No registration required.

Note:  IEEE members that would like to subscribe to the ComSoc SCV Discussion Group, where this post originally appeared, please follow instruction at the bottom of our web page:

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