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Publications available from the Theobald Legislative Library
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Publications available from the Theobald Legislative Library
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Broadband Internet Access |
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Compiled by Arden Rice, November 2006 |
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High-speed Internet access through cable modem, DSL, or other means is becoming an essential service as more and more business transactions and delivery of government services occur online. Not only has the United States fallen to a 16th place world ranking in per capita access to broadband, but Americans also pay higher prices for slower service than citizens of many other leading industrial nations. Phone service utilities, cable companies, and consumer advocates disagree about the need for regulatory oversight to ensure that broadband services are equally accessible and affordable in both rural and urban areas. Some municipal leaders also want to implement "Wi-Fi" (wireless Internet) in their communities to spur economic development, though opponents see this as unfair competition with the private sector. Availability of Advanced Telecommunications Capability in the United States / U.S. Federal Communications Commission. 2004. (GN Docket no. 04-54, FCC 04-208) (384/X8) This is the fourth and final report to Congress required by the Telecommunications Act of 1996 regarding market competition and the availability of broadband access nationwide. http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-04-208A1.pdf Broadband Deployment Is Extensive Throughout the United States, but It Is Difficult to Assess the Extent of Deployment Gaps in Rural Areas / U.S. Government Accountability Office. 2006. (GAO-06-426) www.gao.gov/new.items/d06426.pdf Broadband Internet Access and the Digital Divide: Federal Assistance Programs / U.S. Congressional Research Service. 2006. (RL30719) (384/X4) Examines the extent and impact of the disparities between areas of the country with and without broadband access and summarizes the arguments for and against government assistance. http://digital.library.unt.edu/govdocs/crs//data//2006/upl-meta-crs-8576/RL30719_2006Jan17.pdf Broadband Internet Regulation and Access: Background and Issues / U.S. Congressional Research Service. 2006. (CRS Issue Brief for Congress IB10045) (384/X5) Discusses whether government intervention through financial assistance or regulation will accelerate the deployment of broadband access or impose constraints on the adoption of future broadband technologies. http://digital.library.unt.edu/govdocs/crs//data//2006/upl-meta-crs-8747/IB10045_2006Apr14.pdf Broadband Reality Check II: The Truth Behind America's Digital Decline / Free Press, Consumers Union, and Consumer Federation of America. 2006. (384/F87) Compares access, speed, and price of Internet services available in the United States to that of other industrialized nations while critically evaluating the FCC position on broadband deployment and offering policy recommendations. www.freepress.net/docs/bbrc2-final.pdf High-Speed Internet Access: The Debate Over Broadband Deregulation / Congressional Digest Corp. March 2002. (v.81, no.3) (384/C761) Offers arguments for and against amending the Telecommunications Act of 1996 to include provisions for regulating broadband access. Home Broadband Adoption 2006 / Pew Internet and American Life Project. 2006. (384/P52) "At the end of March 2006, 42% of Americans had high-speed at home, up from 30% in March 2005, or a 40% increase."-Abstract www.pewinternet.org/PPF/r/184/report_display.asp Legislation on Public and Private Broadband / Wisconsin Legislative Council. 2003. (RL2003-04) (384/W7e3) "The committee was directed to study the availability of broadband services (high-speed data transmission) and barriers to broadband deployment in Wisconsin, and determine appropriate state policy relating to digital divide and open access issues."-Page 5 (The library also owns additional background memoranda produced for this committee.) www.legis.wisconsin.gov/lc/jlc03/rl2003%5f04.pdf Municipal Provision of Wireless Internet / U.S. Federal Trade Commission. 2006. (384/X7) Produced by the FTC's Internet Access Task Force, this report discusses several operating models for municipal Wi-Fi, analyzing their legal and technical aspects. Arguments for and against municipal Wi-Fi and proposed state and federal legislation are also examined. www.ftc.gov/os/2006/10/V060021municipalprovwirelessinternet.pdf New Law Regarding Municipal Cable Television, Telecommunications, and Broadband Services (2003 Wisconsin Act 278) / Wisconsin Legislative Council. 2004. (IM-2004-4) (LegisCl/2003-2005/i/04-4) (noncirculating) Summarizes the procedures and restriction imposed on municipalities offering cable, telecommunications, and broadband services. www.legis.wisconsin.gov/lc/jlc04/im%5F2004%5F4.pdf Not in the Public Interest - The Myth of Municipal Wi-Fi Networks: Why Municipal Schemes to Provide Wi-Fi Broadband Service with Public Funds Are Ill-Advised / New Millenium Research Council. 2005. (384/N42) A collection of essays arguing that municipal Wi-Fi is more costly than is generally asserted, hinders private sector competition, and does not generate the economic development that proponents promise it will. www.newmillenniumresearch.org/archive/wifireport2305.pdf Public Libraries and the Internet 2006: Study Results and Findings / Information Use Management and Policy Institute, Florida State University. 2006. Based on a survey of nearly 7,000 libraries, this study finds that many libraries are struggling to provide sufficient bandwith and meet patron demand for access to Internet terminals. www.ii.fsu.edu/projectFiles/plinternet/2006/2006_plinternet.pdf Status of Investments in Advanced Telecommunications Infrastructure in Wisconsin / Public Service Commission of Wisconsin. 1996 - to date. (384/W7L2/2006) "The Commission recommends that statutory authority under Wis. Stat. § 196.25 be expanded to permit the Commission to collect data from CATV, wireless and VoIP providers so that the Legislature and the public have complete and relevant information covering all areas of the telecommunications industry."-Exec. Summary, 2006 ed. http://psc.wi.gov/utilityinfo/tele/infrastructureCompetitive/infrastructureStatus.htm Telco Lies and the Truth About Municipal Broadband Networks / Free Press. 2005. (384/F87a) The report refutes claims made by the telecommunications industry about the financial implications of several municipal Wi-Fi initiatives around the country. www.freepress.net/docs/mb_telco_lies.pdf Wireless Technology and Spectrum Demand: Advanced Wireless Services / U.S. Congressional Research Service. 2006. (RS20993) (384/X6) Discusses existing and anticipated technologies and demand for wireless services for mobile phones, personal digital assistants, and computers. Also outlines the controversy over whether municipal supplied Wi-Fi access is unfair competition for the private sector. http://digital.library.unt.edu/govdocs/crs//data/2006/upl-meta-crs-8279/RS20993_2006Jan20.pdf Wisconsin Telecommunications Policy Primer / Wisconsin Policy Research Institute. September 2005. (v.18, no.5) (384/W751) www.wpri.org/Reports/Volume18/Vol18no5.pdf Wisconsin Legislative Council Act Memos
Related Web Sites www.aei-brookings.org/publications/index.php?tab=topics&topicid=72 - American Enterprise Institute-Brookings Joint Center, "Broadband Regulation." www.broadbandeverywhere.org/home/index.ashx - Broadband Everywhere. www.keepamericaconnected.org - Coalition to Keep America Connected. A coalition of small and mid-sized telecommunications carriers advocating for affordable, equitable Internet access. www.thefuturefaster.com - "The Future ... Faster." Organized by the United States Telecom Association. www.hearusnow.org - HearUsNow.org: Consumer Voice for Communications Choice. A project of Consumers Union. http://cfp.mit.edu/groups/broadband/broadband.html - MIT Communications Futures Program, Broadband Working Group. www.muniwireless.com - MuniWireless.
www.ncsl.org/programs/telecom/broadband0906.htm - www.publicknowledge.org/articles/85 - Public Knowledge, "Broadband, Policy Blog." www.ntia.doc.gov/opadhome/opad_brbn.htm - U.S. Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration broadband policy page. www.fcc.gov/cgb/broadband.html - U.S. Federal Communications Commission, "What is Broadband?" Basic descriptions of various technologies and information on universal service coverage for schools, libraries, and rural health care providers. www.wsta.info - Wisconsin State Telecommunications Association. Clippings: (Noncirculating; available for use in the library; clippings prior to 1981 are on microfiche)
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