Municipal Broadband

Research Paper # 108731

Business > Industries
Computer and Technology > Internet
Political Science > U.S.
Political Science > U.S. Federal Politics

Municipal Broadband

This paper explores U.S. national policy concerning community broadband.

2,860 words () | 10 sources | MLA | 2008 United States

Paper Summary:

The paper explains the term community broadband and outlines the strategy and history behind having municipal Wi-Fi in the US. The paper explores the issues behind the difficulty to implement municipal Wi-Fi and the overall current status of the community broadband issue with regards to US national policy. The paper concludes with an educated guess as to what will happen with community broadband implementation in the future.

From the Paper:

"Throughout this course, we discussed the electric, natural gas, telecommunications, airlines, cable TV, and ambulance service industries. In looking at these, one can arguably say that most are classified as "critical needs" for communities to survive and proper. All these industries have one thing in common: they are or have been, at one time, regulated because of the potential monopoly power they have or had over the consumer. These critical needs are provided to the public and payments for these services fall in line with the intent behind rate designs. We learned that rate designs have the four objectives of efficiency, equity, conservation, and reasonableness of the actual cost of service and value of service to the customer. We also learned that telephone service and electricity, for instance, has a mechanism within rate structures called "lifeline rates"."

Sample of Sources Used:

Gallagher, Sean. Senate Panel Blesses Community Broadband, 31 Oct 2007, http://www.internetnews.com/wireless/article.php/3708306.
Horrigan, John, "Why We Don't Know Enough About Broadband in the US." http://www.pewinternet.org/PPF/r/226/report_display.asp.
Leibowitz, Jon. Chairman, FTC "Municipal Broadband: Should Cities Have a Voice?" Speech given to National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors, 22 Sep 2005. http://www.ftc.gov/speeches/leibowitz/050922municipalbroadband.pdf.
McChesney, Robert and Podesta, John, "Let There Be Wifi: Broadband is the Electricity of the 21st century--and Much of America is Being Left in the Dark." Washington Monthly, Jan-Feb. 2006, Vol. 38 No. 182, pp. 14-17.
Miller, Jason Lee, Community Broadband Act to Reach Senate, 10 Oct 2007, http://www.webpronews.com/topnews/2007/10/30/community-broadband-act-to-reach- senate.