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 demonstrate a strong interest in the federal eRate fund to connect schools and libraries to high-speed broadband, the Federal Communications Commission’s Health Care Connect fund created in 2012, and ConnectED, the ultra-high speed initiative unveiled by the White House in June 2013.

John Windhausen, executive director of the SHLB Coalition, said that this year’s conference will demonstrate how community broadband groups are going “beyond BTOP,” the acronym from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Broadband Technology Opportunities Program, and which concluded last year. BTOP was funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, passed just as President Obama was beginning his first term in office.

Among the more than 260 people registered to attend include officials from the California Telehealth Network, Connect Arkansas, C Spire, the Fiber Utilities Group, Gigabit Libraries Network, Google, ICF International, Internet2, the Kansas Fiber Network, Mobile Pulse, MOREnet, Time Warner Cable Business Class, and the Zayo Group.

The scheduled program is displayed below:

December 11, 2013 – The next week includes a variety of broadband-related events, both in Washington and elsewhere in the country.

On Wednesday, December 12, at 2 p.m. ET, Public Knowledge and the Center for Media Justice host an event on “What’s the Hang Up: A Webinar to Understand the Phone Network Transition and Defend Your Communication Rights.” Register at https://cc.readytalk.com/cc/s/registrations/new?cid=s2k99xroc380

Also on Wednesday, December 12, at 12:15 p.m. ET, the New America Foundation highlights “In Poverty, Under Surveillance.” Register at http://www.newamerica.net/events/2013/in_poverty_under_surveillance

Also on Wednesday, December 12, in Cumming, Georgia, in the northern part of the state, Digital Georgia hosts a day-long broadband summit. Information about the event is available at http://www.cviog.uga.edu/gta.

Also on Wednesday, December 12, the Federal Communications Commission will host its December open meeting.

On Monday, December 16, from 11:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.,  TechFreedom hosts an event on “FTC: Technology & Reform Project Launches.” Register at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-ftc-technology-reform-conference-tickets-9656000357.

Also on Monday, December 16, the New America Foundation’s Techno-Activism Third Monday event is on “The Role of Circumvention Tools in Internet Filtering Countries.” Register at http://www.newamerica.net/events/2013/techno_activism_third_mondays_2

On Tuesday, December 17, at 11 a.m. ET, The Broadband Breakfast Club hosts a free webinar on “Evaluating the Broadband Stimulus Program: Were Broadband Technology Opportunities Program Funds Well-Spent?” Register at http://gowoa.me/i/cFp

On Thursday, December 19, at Noon ET, Tech Freedom hosts another event on “A New Kingsbury Commitment: Universal Service through Competition?” with FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai.

http://www.eventbrite.com/e/a-new-kingsbury-commitment-universal-service-through-competition-tickets-9729123069

WASHINGTON, December 11, 2013 – The Broadband Breakfast Club announced that it will host a free, online webinar on Tuesday, December 17, 2013, at 11 a.m. ET/10 a.m. CT, on “Evaluating the Broadband Stimulus Program: Were Broadband Technology Opportunities Program Funds Well-Spent?”

Authors Gregory Rosston and Scott Wallsten, in a publication for the Technology Policy Institute, have called the broadband stimulus program “A Rural Boondoggle and Missed Opportunity.”

In the paper, the authors conclude that the “NTIA adopted a system that led to awards differing by more than a factor of 100 in terms of expected cost-effectiveness. Had it adopted a more reasonable framework, many more households could have been connected for the same money, or the same number of connections could have been realized for a fraction of the cost.”

In a critique of the study by the Schools, Health and Libraries Broadband Coalition, Executive Director John Windhausen characterized the report as a misunderstanding of BTOP’s purposes. “The program also provided valuable support for public computer centers and promoted broadband adoption in urban, suburban and rural areas. Unlike an ongoing subsidy, BTOP provided a one-time investment in long-lasting broadband infrastructure that previously suffered from an inadequate level of broadband capacity.”

In a session moderated by Drew Clark, Chairman and Publisher of BroadbandBreakfast.com, Rosston, Wallsten and Windhausen will debate the Technology Policy Study in the webinar on December 17. Register today!