The Broadband Policy Summit happened this week near DC. I wasn’t there but I have been trying to track notes on it for those of us who didn’t go. I havne’t found much yet – but here’s what I found:
Rep. Rick Boucher (D-VA) gave the keynote address. John Bergmayer from Public Knowledge provided a nice summary of his speech. A super condensed version:
- He likes the Universal Service Reform Act of 2007
- He likes Connect Kentucky
- He likes a smart grid system for broadband deployment
- He says FCC CHairman Martin has an interesting solution to the net neutrality debate
I was able to find FCC Commissioner Robert McDowell’s speech online. Here is my super quick abbreviation:
The OECD rumors of our decline are exaggerated. They aren’t measuring the right thing. The US is ramping up to leapfrog beyond many European counties. The counties with governments who have taken over broadband deployment may be doing well now but innovation has been thwarted and so improvement will not continue. The US needs to encourage growth by allowing the market to growing fairly freely. When consumers really demand broadband providers will rise to the occasion, increased access to spectrum will help.
I’ve been looking for something on John Kneuer’s speech or any other mention but came up empty handed. Perhaps the hosts will be posting presentations and notes later.
