Urban Broadband Users in Minnesota

Wow!  Lots of people have recognized that the Obama stimulus package represents the "Eisenhower moment" for broadband deployment.  I'm REALLY interested in stuff like this (as these may be good models for what we propose) so if you come across more stuff like this, please post links in the comments.

Dave Russell sent me a bunch of great stuff, mostly centered on the CWA proposal and the endorsement of that proposal by the Fiber to the Home Council.  Here are links;

• Click HERE for a copy of CWA's letter to Congress, which also includes a list of specific actions that they recommend.  A great position -- it addresses a lot of the complicated issues in a very elegant way.  I like it a lot.
• Click HERE for very extensive write up in Broadband Properties, which supports the CWA position and fleshes out the argument.  Again, a terrific piece.
• Click HERE for a Letter from the Editor by Steve Ross, Editor of Broadband Properties
• Click HERE for an article by Verizon's Ivan Seidenberg in which he makes the economic case for ultra high speed broadband and why Verizon jumped into the game so early.
• Click HERE for an article about an economic-impact study commissioned by Connected Nation.  The headline numbers?  $134 Billion for the Economy, 2.4 Million Jobs.
• Click HERE for a PriceWaterhouseCoopers study of the environmental impact of fiber to the home deployments.  Their conclusion?  FTTH is a net positive to the environment within six years of deployment, just looking at telecommuting alone.
• Click HERE for an Empiris study (commissioned by the Fiber to the Home Council) describing the economic impacts of tax incentives for broadband infrastructure deployment.  A great study that reviews a number of proposals we may want to discuss at the Minnesota level.
• Click HERE for the December 16 letter that the Fiber to the Home Council sent to Congress, endorsing the CWA position.
• Click HERE for the December 18 National Telecommunications Cooperative Association position paper.  Here's a quote that caught my eye -- "We believe industry responsibilities accompany the opportunity to transition to a competitive deregulatory operating environment.  These obligations include fully embracing our national universal service policy, adequately compensating others for the use of their facilities and negotiating interconnection and access matters in good faith."

Whew!  Way to go Dave!  Lots and lots of stuff to think about in those articles -- I'm feeling like those are the antidotes to all the happy-talk baloney that so bummed me out at the last meeting.

Anybody else got stuff like this?  There's a LOT of activity right now, since people are trying to get stuff into the stimulus bill that Obama wants to sign right after he gets into office.  So post links in the comments.  Here's one to start you off.  Dennis Fazio sent me this one;

• Click HERE to read a piece by Tom Evslin (formerly of AT&T Worldnet and Microsoft) titled "Why Government Investment in Broadband is Justified Now"
• Click HERE for Tom's take on why the Federal Broadband money should go to states rather than directly to providers.  I like this idea, for many of the reasons he states in the article -- accountability, buy-in, skin in the game, etc.

Thanks Dennis!  Anybody got more of these gems??  Post 'em in the comments.

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