FCC: Broadband Critical For Often Undervalued Small Business Market
Broadband's Impact, FCC Workshops, National Broadband Plan
January 4th, 2010
WASHINGTON, January 4, 2010 – At a field hearing at the University of Chicago on December 21, 2009, the Federal Communications Commission voiced its commitment to provide broadband opportunities to small businesses – in spite of the feeling that small businesses are sometimes forgotten.
“When discussing the digital divide, small businesses are often overlooked,” said Norma Reyes, commissioner of the department of business affairs and consumer protection for the city of Chicago.
“ Small businesses are really the engine of job creation in the U.S., and they have been for a long time,” FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski explained at the hearing.
Web Content Producers Favor Net Neutrality, Reject Regulation of Search Engines
Broadband's Impact, FCC Workshops, Net Neutrality
December 16th, 2009
WASHINGTON, December 16, 2009 – Web content producers applauded the efforts of the Federal Communications Commission to turn Net neutrality principles into enforceable rules – but lawyers, academics and commissioners were divided on whether the agency should begin regulating the internet in the name of democracy and economic growth.
“The genius of the Internet is its openness, its dynamism and its availability to one and all,” said FCC Commissioner Michael Copps in his opening statements at a Tuesday afternoon workshop on “Democratic Engagement and the Open Internet.”
Memphis Citizens Embrace Broadband as They Question Government Involvement
FCC Workshops, National Broadband Plan, Net Neutrality
December 15th, 2009
December 15, 2009 – The value of universal access to broadband was discussed at an occasionally tense Federal Communications Commission field hearing in Memphis on Monday night. The hearing was intended to focus on whether broadband services are being deployed in a way that allows all Americans to benefit, though it also addressed why internet access is necessary.
“I believe that universal access to broadband needs to be seen as a civil right,” said FCC commissioner Mignon Clyburn. “I don’t think you can look at it in any other way.”
Official: Developing Countries Want National Broadband Insight
FCC Workshops, National Broadband Plan
December 10th, 2009
WASHINGTON, December 10, 2009 – Developing countries frequently ask the World Bank for advice on how to roll out a national broadband strategy, said a speaker Thursday at a Federal Communications Commission workshop on the benefits of global broadband connectivity.
Elected Officials Say Broadband Plan Must Give Role to States and Localities
FCC Workshops, National Broadband Plan, States
December 10th, 2009
WASHINGTON, December 9, 2009 – Mayors and state elected officials emphasized the value and importance of local engagement in initiatives designed to promote high-speed internet access at a Wednesday morning workshop at the Federal Communications Commission.
Three Commissioners plus Chief Diversity Officer Mark Lloyd gathered to discuss the particular role that local and state governments have in promoting broadband for under-served communities.