Broadband and Swiss Cheese

In the U.S. there are two things of note that happened this week with respect to broadband connectivity that are essential for every library worker to know.

Broadband is one of the most important utility level infrastructure issues that must be addressed to support the 21st century economy. It is the equal of those megaprojects of the past like hydro utiliities, sewer systems, water plants, interstate highways, etc. that resulted from huge public/private investments. This is a critical issue to libraries since it underpins community, research and educational success and that’s what we care about.

So, first off, if your local community or campus has small or huge broadband connectivity holes (hence the Swiss cheese metaphor), you should know about this site from the FCC (thanks Gary):

FCC Launches Broadband Testing and Reporting Tools for Consumers

2 Page PDF here.
Report those holes. Your strategies depend on it.

The second thing that libraries and our associations should be investing time in understanding is the proposals from the Obama administration on broadband that were released today.

Check out Broadband.gov soon.

National broadband goals

Goal 1: At least 100 million U.S. homes should have affordable access to actual download speeds of at least 100 megabits per second and actual upload speeds of at least 50 megabits per second.

Goal 2: The United States should lead the world in mobile innovation, with the fastest and most extensive wireless networks of any nation.

Goal 3: Every American should have affordable access to robust broadband service, and the means and skills to subscribe if they so choose.

Goal 4: Every community should have affordable access to at least 1 Gbps broadband service to anchor institutions such as schools, hospitals and government buildings.

Goal 5: To ensure the safety of Americans, every first responder should have access to a nationwide public safety wireless network.

Goal 6: To ensure that America leads in the clean energy economy, every American should be able to use broadband to track and manage their real-time energy consumption.”

This is important on so many levels. It is worthy of a public discussion on a level at least as much as is being given to health care or even Tiger Woods.

Stephen