57 firms, groups ally to push action on broadband

Barack Obama often talked on the campaign trail about the need to expand high-speed Internet access in rural America. Now a diverse coalition of broadband promoters has organized to make sure he keeps his promise in the face of economic and budget challenges. A Call to Action for a National Broadband Strategy comprises 57 firms and organizations, "some of which generally don’t get along too well," reports Carl Weinschenk of Business Communications Examiner. "There are other influential voices being raised that are asking Obama to deliver on his promises, perhaps as part of the stimulus package that he promises to sign into law when he takes office."

Weinschenk writes that broadband is especially important to small and medium-sized businesses because they depend on the same type of Internet service that consumers use: "If its capacity is low or service is spotty, they suffer. There also is a geographic element. In general, the lack of an overriding federal broadband plan encourages the big cable and phones companies to concentrate advanced services in urban and suburban areas. These businesses naturally focus on where people are, and tend to bypass rural areas. ... While there are great examples of rural telephone companies and cooperatives doing cutting edge things, the reality is that without help from the states and Washington, rural businesses are at the mercy of purely profit-and-loss based corporate decisions and, therefore, are at a big disadvantage." (Read more)