One of the most exciting parts of the national broadband plan project has been the opportunity, through our workshops and research projects, to hear and learn from the preeminent experts in the field. This summer, we asked the Columbia Institute for Tele-Information (“CITI”) based at Columbia Business School in New York to review and assess the projected deployment of broadband networks throughout the United States. Robert C. Atkinson and Ivy E. Schultz of CITI have recently written and released their report, called Broadband in America: Where It Is and where It Is Going (According to Broadband Service Providers).
We want to take a closer look at three key conclusions in the report. CITI says that providers expect to be able to serve about 95% of U.S. homes with at least low-speed wired broadband service by 2013-14, and expect to serve about 90% of homes with advertised speeds of 50 mbps. But the forecasts analyzed by CITI also indicate that perhaps five to ten million households will have “significantly inferior choices in broadband,” such as slower speeds or lack of terrestrial choices. And CITI provides evidence that adoption of broadband will continue to lag availability for the foreseeable future.
Assuming the study’s findings are correct, are they good news or bad news, and what would they mean for the National Broadband Plan? A Dec. 10 workshop with the study’s authors might provide some answers. We’ve also issued a Public Notice asking for comment on the report. Please read the report and give us your thoughts by commenting on this blog or through the Electronic Filing Comment System, using either ECFS Express or our standard submission page if you need to attach a file.
