February 5, 2009

Obama's Broadband Plan: Why America Should Care


I am trying to adopt the cool, calm and collected aura of our new president. We are deep in an economic crisis that is put over 2 million people out of work last year. The economic crisis was a major reason that an overwhelming number of Americans voted for change in our national leadership last November.

One aspect of the President's stimulus package relates to improving the broadband infrastructure. I know how much my personal and professional life improved when I gained access to broadband. Obama wants all Americans to have access to broadband. Check out this article from the Knight Center of Digital Excellence:


We know we need to put people back to work. We also know that a key component of the Obama Plan is to stimulate our economy through the development of a next-generation broadband infrastructure.

Key to this goal is making Americans see – giving them that “Aha” moment – so that there is a clear understanding how broadband can advance our economy in the same radical way that telephone service and electricity did a century ago. As an essential utility service of the future, broadband can change how we do business, deliver health care, educate our children, provide safety services in our communities, and in short, how we conduct our daily lives. This is why broadband plays so prominently in federal plans to stimulate our economy, with proposed spending of up to $10 billion on broadband infrastructure.


Read the rest of the article here.


Are you reading this from a broadband connection? Do you remember when you went from dial-up modem to broadband connection? I think we need to get the broadband infrastructure expanded throughout the nation. What say u?

5 comments:

HD Notes said...

At the Cleveland National Capacity Building Symposium we will talk about broadband and our ability to implement a best practices methodology that creates a means to erase the digital divide in the America's, Africa and Asia - from a Ohio based headquarters.

Technology Theme: Enforcement and Regulation of Broadband: A history and a future

"We will propose a National Building Program for broadband that can be implemented over the next 18 months, if we act wisely, in unity, within a regulatory environment that follows the letter, as well as the spirit, of the law where we [through the digital universe as Americans] will oversee the peoples government [at all levels] investment in its people, fairly based on successes and failures as we erase the digital divide."

Hershel Daniels, Junior
Cincinnati Change Vice-Chairman

http://nationalfairnesscampaign.blogspot.com/

This symposium is to be held at the Louis Stokes Telecommunications Center at the Cuyahoga Community College main campus on Friday 13th 2009, Cleveland, Ohio 9:00 AM - 4:00PM.

The Current Host Agencies are The Black Trades Council of Ohio and NEO Alliance for Change.

There are many speakers on the conference calls leading up to the symposium. Send you email request for access to calls and or blogs, BBS's and webzines to natichange@gmail.com.

We welcome your current Vita and or policy paper to added to the national largest repository of community reinvestment agreements in digital form that is to be used to create a means tested broadband wireless network based on patented and open source technology.

Unknown said...

Herschell - Thank you for sharing this update. I have forwarded information about the upcoming symposium to BDPA Cleveland & Cincinnati chapter presidents...

Unknown said...

Some may dismiss this as unessential but access to technology is one of the disparities that separates the economic classes. I champion greater access for all and agree with our President that it is an important element of our economic revival. This is an area that is long overdue for change and I'm glad that you have highlighted the issue here.

Karen

Black Women in Europe said...

It's shameful that the US lags behind in broadband penetration among its citizens. I'm in Sweden where they are one of the leaders in providing broadband service.

The difference in quality is like day and night. Having Internet service with broadband is so basic in the digital age.

Unknown said...

Karen - I hope that some of the funding in the Stimulus package relates to this broadband infrastructure build-out. Heck, I'm old enough to remember operating on a 2400 baud dial-up modem!

Adrienne - Sweden is much better when it comes to broadband. Hopefully Obama can jumpstart the process of improvement here in America. It would be a tremendous boon for productivity...