Government eyes broadband deployment

Jul 31, 2012

BY David Placher
Executive Director | PNRC


WASHINGTON—On July 18, the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Small Business held a hearing on the federal government’s efforts to become more involved in the deployment of broadband with the enactment of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
The Federal Communications Commission estimates that 97 percent of small businesses use some form of broadband applications to strengthen their operations.
A recent survey by the Office of the Chief Counsel for Advocacy at the U.S. Small Business Administration showed almost half of rural businesses and more than one-third of urban businesses are not satisfied with their current Internet speed.
FCC Chair Julius Genachowski testified about the progress on broadband in the past three years and the problems now being faced.
• A vast majority of Americans live in areas with broadband infrastructure capable of delivering 100-plus megabits per second. However, nearly 18 million Americans—including many small business owners—live in areas where they cannot get broadband.
• Nearly 100 million Americans still have not adopted broadband at home.
• The U.S. leads the world in 3G subscribers, and it is leading the world in deploying 4G mobile broadband.
• The apps economy continues to grow, and U.S. firms and developers continue to lead the way.
• The percentage of smartphones globally with U.S. operating systems has grown from 25% to more than 80%.
david@americanpressworks.com