The Federal Communications Commission, in
partnership with state regulators Tuesday introduced a Web site to serve as a national clearinghouse for local communities to share
news and information about their broadband deployment projects.
The Web-based
survey will gather information about broadband deployment projects
nationwide, which will be available in the form of a searchable database on the Web site.
The joint federal-state Web project is designed to facilitate the exchange
of information and the development of local “best practices” so that
communities can build upon the lessons learned by others in deploying
broadband services.
The Web survey project is the result of the Federal-State Joint
Conference on Advanced Telecommunications Services to ensure that
advanced services are deployed as rapidly as possible to all
Americans. The FCC and state regulators are expecting many local
communities and municipalities, private industry, educational institutions,
and others, to share their success stories on the Web site.
FCC Chairman Kennard extended an invitation to all interested parties to
join in this new venture.
“We are asking every community that is finding creative ways to provide
high speed Internet access to share their experience through this web
site,” Kennard said. “The resource we are launching today will give
communities across the country a chance to share their strategies for
success, and inspire others to follow in their footsteps.”
G. Nannette Thompson, Regulatory
Commission of Alaska chairperson, said the Joint Conference was
impressed by the inspiration, creativity and determination of communities
in making high speed Internet access a reality.
“Sharing a vision of advanced telecommunications services for all
Americans, we are garnering these success stories on our interactive web
site,” Thompson said. “In doing so, we hope to pass the torch to other
communities, service providers and government officials concerned about
getting adequate services in rural, inner-city and other underserved areas.”
The Joint Conference recently completed a series of field hearings across
the country. The database will include current efforts from the Montana
Terrace Smart Home Community in Washington, D.C., to transform a public
housing project into a revitalized mixed-income community with
state-of-the-art broadband connections to the Internet.
Other broadband deployment efforts included in the database are from
projects underway in Orange City and Hawarden, Iowa, the Forks in
Washington State, the communities of Sitka, Kake, Kotzebue and Noatak in
Alaska, and the Berkshires and on Cape Cod, Massachusetts.
The survey and database are hosted and maintained by the
National Regulatory Research Institute at Ohio State, the official research arm of the National Association of Regulatory Utility
Commissioners.
