WASHINGTON, June 15, 2017 – The Federal Communications Commission’s Connect2Health Task Force last week announced updates to a broadband mapping platform to allow communities and businesses to better use high-speed internet to help patients with chronic health conditions. “As a famous writer once said, ‘data are just summaries of thousands of stories,’” Michele Ellison, chairwoman… Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, June 7, 2017 – Champions, partnerships and flexibility are necessary to bring fiber-optic networks to less-populated communities, said participants involved in launching such a network in Kent County, Maryland. Speaking at a Friday panel was hosted at the Schools Health and Libraries Broadband Coalition Annual Conference here, the executive director of the State Education… Keep Reading
BROADBAND BREAKFAST INSIGHT: The best time to release a budget? When the president is away on a foreign trip! Trump to Propose $1.4 Trillion in Cuts to Non-Defense Agencies, from GovExec President Trump, in budget documents to be released on Tuesday, will propose shrinking spending at non-defense agencies by $1.4 trillion over the next 10 years, with… Keep Reading
Broadband Breakfast Insight: This was an excellent webinar discussion probing connectivity, and helping government, non-profit and industry users to visualize data about connectivity. Think of this as the kind of activity that the National Broadband Map was designed to achieve. -> Mapping Connected Health County by County Webinar, a webinar of the Federal Communications Commission… Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, September 16, 2015 - State broadband entities and commissions continue to plan an important role in fostering economic development and digital learning, according to a recent report from the Pell Center for International Relations and Public Policy.
The report, "State-Level Broadband Policy: A Compendium of Resources and Approaches," catalogs some of the important capabilities and tools of the federal technology program dubbed the State Broadband Initiative of the U.S. Department of Commerce.
But the report, by Pell Center Adjunct Fellow Angela Siefer, also advances the discussion about state-level broadband resources by highlighting more recently discussed tools, including eRate funding, telecommunications modernization legislation, and ways to promote local infrastructure partnerships.
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WASHINGTON, May 18, 2015 - More than five years after the unveiling of the National Broadband Plan, policy-makers and on-the-ground-advocates seeking to build better broadband networks will convene here this week at the annual conference of the Schools, Health and Libraries Broadband Coalition.
The conference, "Enhancing Broadband Through Innovation, Investment and Inclusion," has become the regular Washington gathering point for those engaged in public broadband initiatives.
Among the keynote and plenary sessions at this year's conference include addresses by Federal Communications Commissioner Mignon Clyburn, former Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn, former Virginia Gov. and Sen. George Allen, plus Mayor Jill Boudreau of Mount Vernon, Washington.
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AUSTIN, April 14, 2015 - The Rural Telecommunications Congress portion of the Broadband Communities Summit opens here Tuesday with a series of conference sessions focused on looking beyond conventional rural telecom.
With a theme of "Connecting Communities Across the Countryside of Rural America," our conference sessions on Tuesday include a discussion of the State Broadband Initiative and its impact on rural America, and a robust panel on the companies and technologies that will broadband the life-giving broadband to rural America.
The RTC sessions planning for Wednesday including a summary of the lessons learned from successful broadband deployments, "Broadband and the Farm," and the impact of the internet of things on rural communities -- plus important insight on telemedicine-based health and education programs. [...]
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WASHINGTON, January 12, 2015 - The Schools, Health & Libraries (SHLB) Broadband Coalition’s fifth Annual Conference will be held on May 20-22nd at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City Hotel in Crystal City, Virginia (near DC Reagan National Airport). The SHLB Conference is likely to attract 350-450 people from D.C and across the country who gather to discuss key broadband policy issues that are important to anchor institutions and their communities. The conference is a great platform for broadband experts to interact through plenary sessions, breakout panels and networking opportunities. [...] Keep Reading
Rural Americans are sicker, poorer and more likely to be uninsured than their urban counterparts. Vital human capital links in our nation’s information and healthcare supply chain are missing in rural America, and we need more skilled health care professionals in those communities. Telehealth capabilities offer an antidote to the rural health care conundrum by… Keep Reading
ARLINGTON, Virginia, June 9, 2014 – Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler presented the third annual awards for advances in accessibility to innovators of communications technology for disabled people. The awards were presented at the M-Enabling Summit at the Renaissance Arlington Capitol View Hotel here. The awards ceremony and initiative seeks to make possible exchange… Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, May 29, 2014 – Four believers in municipal internet access expressed their dismay at the New America Foundation at an increasingly consolidated broadband marketplace – and promoted local government ownership as a remedy. Speaking on a panel of experts on Wednesday at the think tank, they blasted giants AT&T, Comcast, and Time Warner Cable… Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, May 6, 2014 – Efforts to construct Gigabit Networks will be featured prominently at the Schools, Health and Libraries Broadband Coalition meeting this week in Washington, the fourth annual event for this community of broadband users. The even will run from Wednesday, May 7 through Friday, May 9. Registration and the agenda for the event… Keep Reading
Schools, Health and Libraries Broadband Coalition Finds Fault with Study Critiquing Broadband Technology Opportunities Program WASHINGTON, November 18, 2013 – The Technology Policy Institute issued a report on Thursday criticizing the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP). Unfortunately, the report reflects a misunderstanding of the purpose of that program. The Technology Policy Institute study of BTOP mischaracterizes… Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, July 3, 2013 – Federal Communications Commission Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel discussed the increasingly important role of telemedicine at the American Telemedicine Association Policy Summit on Friday. Rosenworcel described the growing use of telemedicine, with 10 million Americans benefitting from it in the last year. She highlighted its ability to bring specialists to people who… Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, Wednesday, April 24th, 2013 – The broadband policy news and events service BroadbandBreakfast.com held its April 2013 Broadband Breakfast Club event: “Mobile Health: Will Wireless Devices Help Solve the Nation’s Health Crises?” on Tuesday, April 16th 2013 at Clyde’s of Gallery Place, 707 7th St. NW, Washington, DC 20001 from 8 am – 10 am. The Broadband Breakfast Club is sponsored by Comcast, Google and US Telecom.… Keep Reading
April 15, 2013 – You’ve heard of “big data.” Well, now its time to learn about “small mHealth.” At Tuesday’s Broadband Breakfast Club, we’ll be learning about “Mobile Health: Will Wireless Devices Help Solve the Nation’s Health Crises?” We’ve got an impressive lineup, including a keynote presentation by Jacob Reider, the Chief Medical Officer at… Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, Monday, April 8th, 2013 – The broadband policy news and events service BroadbandBreakfast.com will hold its April 2013 Broadband Breakfast Club event: “Mobile Health: Will Wireless Devices Help Solve the Nation’s Health Crises?” on Tuesday, April 16th 2013 at Clyde’s of Gallery Place, 707 7th St. NW, Washington, DC 20001 from 8 am – 10… Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, January 24, 2013 – Broadband is about more than internet connection speeds, but now is everywhere, and affecting the way that consumers interacting with constantly-connected devices, according to a guide released by the Internet Innovation Alliance. The IIA guide highlights the usage of broadband connectivity in the advancement of distance learning in schools, as… Keep Reading
LAS VEGAS, January 9, 2013 – Broadband is now so thoroughly integrated within electronic devices, and broadband providers have done so much to advance faster internet connectivity, that now has become the time to apply broadband to solve society’s toughest problems: health care, educational improvement, and environmental sustainability. That was the message that the CEO… Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, June 19, 2012 — Last Thursday President Obama announced the launch of a new initiative, “US Ignite” and signed an Executive Order reducing the cost and barriers to broadband build out and construction along federal roadways and properties. The Order aims to make construction 90 percent cheaper and more efficient. The Federal Government owns approximately… Keep Reading
WASHINGTON Tuesday June 12, 2012 – Last week the Federal Communications Commission moved forward with white spaces reform free of challenges from the microphone industry, they took on special access reform and held a meeting of experts to address the future of wireless mHealth innovation. Broadbandbreakfast has some notes on each of these stories. … Keep Reading
WASHINGTON Thursday May 17 2012 – Nearly two years after the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act’s (ARRA) broadband deployment and adoption projects were funded and the National Broadband Plan was adopted, we are still dealing with 100 million Americans who do not receive broadband in the home. While 65% of the population uses broadband, only… Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, Friday March 23, 2012 – On Tuesday March 20th federal regulatory administrators, state health and broadband officials and private health IT and technology experts met in Washington to discuss “Maximizing US Health IT and Broadband Investment” at BroadbandBreakfast.com’s monthly breakfast and panel discussion. In the session, the speakers agreed that there is both humanitarian and… Keep Reading
If it were a piece of classical music, the “study” by Navigant Economics’ Jeffrey Eisenach and Kevin Caves could easily be titled “Variations on a False Narrative in the key of F.” They claim, after a review of three (count ‘em, 3) of the hundreds of broadband grants, the broadband stimulus cost too much for too little ROI. The most misleading of the claims, though, is the alleged $349,234 spent per un-served household. Well, I should say the $7 million per un-served household, but I’ll come back to that in a bit. Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, July 20, 2011 - The July Broadband Breakfast Club gathered key industry experts to discuss how the Universal Service Fund could be transformed to support next generation broadband communications technologies on Tuesday. “The Universal Service Fund (USF) has done a great job in getting phone service out but now it needs to be reformed to support broadband,” said Joshua Seidemann, Director of Policy, the National Telecommunications Cooperative Association (NTCA).
Broadband Breakfast: Making the Universal Service Fund Into a Universal Broadband Fund from Broadband Breakfast.
Keep ReadingLast year, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) recognized the role of technology in strengthening this country’s economy by investing 7.2 million in funding into technology and broadband adoption initiatives through the Broadband Technology Opportunity Program (BTOP). Through this funding the United States can build technology infrastructures and bring low-income residents online for the first time. However, technology in and of itself is not what is important. What is important is how people, families and communities use that technology to improve their lives. What will drive adoption and sustainability? Why will someone come online for the first time? What did we learn as an industry and society in bringing the first 100M on line that can help us in bringing the last 100M online? What is the real cost benefit analysis on people having access to information that directly impacts the way they manage their health, educate their children or plan for their financial future. I challenge all of us not to look at the cost of building these networks – but rather the cost of not building it. Keep Reading
WASHINGTON June 14, 2011- The One Economy Corporation, in conjunction with AT&T, announced the winners of the "Applications for Good" contest on Tuesday. “Technology is important, but today’s event shows that what really matters is how people, families and communities use technology to make their lives better,” said Kelley Dunne, President and CEO of One Economy. “We must constantly challenge ourselves to seek creative ways to meet people where they are in delivering resources that can truly transform communities.” Keep Reading
CARBONDALE, Illinois, June 2, 2011 – Boiled down to its bare essentials, a major research university like Southern Illinois University here needs three things to prosper: good students, great faculty, and world-class internet bandwidth. The only major research university in the southern half of Illinois, SIU has the first two out of three. But according to John Koropchak, a professor of chemistry and Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Dean at the university, the availability of bandwidth for SIU maxes out at 380 Megabits per second (Mbps). Guidelines by the National Science Foundation call for bandwidth availability to be 1 Gigabit per second (Gbps) to 2.5 Gbps. That’s up to seven times the bandwidth currently available. Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, March 30, 2011 - Google announced Wednesday that it would launch a ultra high-speed network - which is capable of speeds more than 100 times faster than typical residential broadband - in Kansas City, Kansas, with service expected to begin sometime in 2012. Keep Reading
WASHINGTON March 30, 2011- The Schools, Health and Libraries Broadband Coalition assembled broadband stimulus award winners and government officials for their inaugural broadband summit on Tuesday to share solutions and success in solving digital literacy and adoption issues. The SHLBC, formed two years ago, comprises libraries, hospitals, schools, non-profit groups and corporations that seek to further broadband availability for community anchor institutions. Keep Reading
WASHINGTON March 17, 2011 - The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation brought key former broadband plan authors together Wednesday to discuss how the federal government is enacting the plan. Keep Reading
WASHINGTON March 10, 2011 - Internet2, the nationwide ultra high-speed education network, announced that it will increase the network’s speed by a factor of nearly 900. The network's existing speed is already approximately 1,000 times as fast as a the fastest widely-available high-speed residential connection. Internet2 will increase its speed from 100 gigabits per second (100,000 megabits per second) to 8.8 terabits per second (88,000,000 Mbps). Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, February 10, 2011 - President Obama is scheduled to deliver a speech at Northern Michigan University, Thursday, detailing his plan to catalyze his State of the Union pledge to deliver wireless Internet to 98 percent of Americans within five years. In addition to spurring businesses to reach the 98 percent goal, the administration's Wireless Innovation and Infrastructure Initiative (WIII) aims to free up radio spectrum to alleviate an impending spectrum crunch, create a nationwide interoperable wireless network for public safety and drive innovation in the wireless broadband sector. Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, January 27, 2011 - Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced earlier this week the dispersal of $34.7 million in grants through the Distance Learning and Telemedicine Program. Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, January 24, 2011 – The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, Sen. John D. Rockefeller IV (D-WV), released his legislative agenda for the upcoming year on Friday. The senator plans to prioritize three broad areas: economic security and growth, proactive homeland security and consumer protection. “In the new Congress,” said Rockefeller… Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, October 6, 2010 - The final day of the Telecommunications Policy Research Conference looked at broadband adoption and universality. The problems addressed are key in helping the government determine how broadband is being adopted and where intervention is necessary. Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, September 7, 2010 - The Federal Communications Commission late last week laid out part of its plan to reform the universal service fund, including pushing Sprint and Nextel to live up to their commitments to surrender their high-cost universal support over five years. Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, August 23, 2010 – The state of California last week officially launched its Telehealth Network, which is funded by $30 million in federal, state and private money. Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, August 16, 2010- New Mexico entities received a $10.6 million broadband stimulus grant from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, and support for a $63.8 million project from the Rural Utilities Service of the Department of Agriculture. The NTIA grant will be given to North Central New Mexico Economic Development District to deploy a middle-mile project across three counties and five tribal areas. The project will directly serve 123 community anchor institutions, 19,227 homes and 1,332 businesses. "Middle mile" projects aim to expand the availability of broadband interconnections to companies and organizations that offer service to end-users. Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, July 28, 2010 – Experts gathered at the behest of the Federal Communications Commission and Food and Drug Administration to give the investor and research and development perspective at the agencies’ public meeting on enabling the convergence of communications and medical systems. Keep Reading