1 The Federal Communications Commission and the National Broadband Plan September 9, 2009 Sγo Paolo, Brazil 2 Congressional Mandate • Develop a National Broadband Plan that shall: “Ensure that all people of the United States have access to broadband capability and . . . establish benchmarks for meeting that goal” 3 Congressional Mandate • Other statutory objectives – Analyze the most effective and efficient mechanisms for ensuring broadband access by all people of the United States – Provide: • a detailed strategy for achieving affordability of such service; • a detailed strategy for maximum utilization of broadband infrastructure and service by the public – Evaluate the state of deployment • include an evaluation of progress of projects supported by the grants made pursuant to the Recovery Act 4 Congressional Mandate • Advancing consumer welfare • Civic participation • Public safety and homeland security • Community development • Health care delivery • Energy independence and efficiency • Education • Worker training • Private sector investment • Entrepreneurial activity • Job creation and economic growth • Other national purposes • Other statutory objectives (cont’d.) – Provide a plan for use of broadband infrastructure and services in: 5 Congressional Mandates* • Broadband Plan Due Feb. 17, 2010 • Section 706 Report Due Feb. 3, 2010 (including Int’l comparisons) • Consumer Survey No deadline (needed for plan) • Mapping Final Map Due Feb. 17, 2011 (needed for plan) *Partial List 6 Basic Approach • What is the current situation? • What will the near term situation be without a change in government policy? • What will be the areas where there are demonstrable public interest harms? • What are ways of lessening the public interest harms? 7 Mandates for the Process • Be Open – Transparent – Inclusive – Participatory • Be Data Driven • Produce a Plan 8 Public Input • Staff Workshops – provide the same kind of input as ex parte processes but in more open and efficient manner – fill out the record in the first phase of the planning process • Additional workshops and hearings • New Media Initiatives • Meetings with Commission staff • Written comments 9 Workshops Completed • eGov/Civic Participation • Deployment – Wired – Wireless – Unserved/Underserved • Technology – Fixed Broadband – Wireless • International Lessons • Small and Disadvantaged Business • Adoption (3 Workshops) • Individuals with Disabilities • Education • Public Safety and Homeland Security • Smart Grid, Broadband, and Climate Change • Economic Growth, Job Creation, and Private Investment • Job Training • Applications and Devices • State and Local Governments • Benchmarks • Big Ideas/Best Practices • Broadband Consumer Experience 10 Workshops Planned • Healthcare • State and Local Governments • Spectrum • Role of Content • Cybersecurity • Civil Rights • Individuals with Disabilities II 11 Workshops Speakers Satellite 2% RLEC 2% Cable 3% Other 9% Equ ipm ent 8%Disa bilities Community 5% ILEC 5%In cumbent Wireless 5% Think Tanks 4% Fiber 4% CLEC 2% Small, Disadv antaged, or Minority Bu siness 12% Alt. Wireless 9% Consumer/Pu blic Interest 9% Government 9% Media 2% Academ ic 9% Approximate Participation 12 Sample Notable Speakers – Vivek Kundra, CIO of the United States – Norm Ornstein, American Enterprise Institute – Vint Cerf, Google – Craig Moffit, Sanford Bernstein – Milo Medin, M2Z – Yochai Benkler, Harvard Law School – Kareem Dale, Special Assistant to the President for Disability Policy – Margot Dorfman, US Women’s Chamber of Commerce – Daniel Phythyon, FEMA – Barry West, Clearwire – Rosaline Crawford, National Association for the Deaf – Nicol Turner-Lee, Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies – Jim Shelton, Department of Education – Emmanuel Hooper, Ph.D., Harvard University – Bill Gurley, Benchmark Capital – Ed Evans, Stelera Wireless – Yvette Herrera, Communications Workers of America 13 Process Innovations • First use of public workshops over broad range of issues (~1100 in room attendees) • First use of public multimedia to open up ex parte process (~4600 online attendees) • First testimony via telepresence • First dedicated webpage for policy initiative • First FCC Blog • First FCC Tweet • First use of idea rankings for public input • Experimental use of academic institutions for focused data gathering 14 New Media Initiatives • Blogband – Staff post after each workshop to engage public on analysis and lessons learned – 15 Posts in 8 days – ~160 Comments in 8 days – Significant Press Activity • Twitter – @fccdotgov – 2187 Followers in 8 Days – 20 Tweets in 8 Days • Ideascale – Launching in September 15 Blogband: Defining Broadband • 68 Comments on 1 Post • Sample Comments: - “In whatever definition you use, you must also consider latency.” - “Broadband has sufficient bandwidth for real time viewing of (nearly) all streamed content.” - “No absolute numbers…The threshold (should) rise as technology improve(s).” 16 Big Challenges • Scope • Time • Data 17 Near Term Next Steps • Future Workshops – Possibility of adding workshops/webinars on additional topics – Field Hearings and Broadband Forums throughout Fall to follow up on Workshops • Comment Cycles – First Tranche of Workshops – Second Tranche of Workshops • September Commission Meeting – Incorporate Lessons from Workshops, Additional Filings – Initial Overview of Current State and Direction of Broadband Deployment/Adoption – Introduction to On-Going National Purposes Research • Ex Parte Process on http://www.broadband.gov/exparte 18 FCC Timeline Report on Opportunities to Drive National Purposes January Meeting Report on PlanFebruary Meeting Report on Policy FrameworkDecember Meeting Report on Analysis of Key GapsNovember Meeting Report on Factual State of PlayOctober Meeting Report on Process and CalendarSeptember Meeting ActionMonth 19 The Federal Communications Commission and the National Broadband Plan September 9, 2009 Brazil