(Flickr Photo Credit – danesparza)

With regard to telecommunications policy and broadband, the last few years in Washington has been more noise than signal. Hearing after hearing brings lots of whining about broadband – but no solutions. A few academics have gone to the Hill and claimed there is no competition and a few lawmakers like to point out our worldwide rank (15th) in broadband. These same individuals will also point the finger at service providers for a lack of broadband in America.

CHANGE

This is a change election. Every candidate – even folks who have been in office for years – are running on change. Accordingly, I hope that a new administration will bring a new approach to the broadband opportunity in America.

No more pointing the finger. No more lack of accountability. This issue is not conservative or liberal. It is a people issue.

In any case, here are some thoughts to get the ball rolling in the right direction on an issue that is extremely important to our future.

Tackle Demand Problem

In most instances, policymakers are looking at a lack of broadband penetration as a supply-side problem. However, if you take a closer look, most areas are covered with a broadband option (cable, LEC, wireless). It may not be fiber-to-the-home, but there is broadband. The way to tackle this problem is to change the focus and address the DEMAND side of the issue.

I realized this first hand when I was in the 9th ward earlier this year. As mobile diners will recall, I had the opportunity (thanks to Beth Kanter) to be a part of a team that installed a wireless network (in the community center) as well as tutor some of the local citizens about the internet (Cisco’s tech gurus installed the network – I was on the tutoring team). I thought I would be showing some internet applications. However, my partner wanted to know how to use her computer. She said she did not subscribe to the internet because she wanted to know how to use her computer first.

We live in a bubble in Washington. We talk about white spaces and openness when many folks don’t know how to use a computer or see no value in the web.

Let’s get our fellow citizens interested in the value of a computer and the internet. “Free broadband” or regulating the service providers is not going to get folks online. We need to get back to basics and spur interest in computers. If folks see the value of the whole package – and what is in it for them – they may subscribe.

CTO, United Stated of America

I really like this idea of a Cabinet Level CTO. I know that Senator Obama’s campaign has talked about this as a position in an Obama Administration. Accordingly, I am hopeful that McCain would do the same if he should be the next President.

In my opinion, this person should be someone who has a history of working with folks from both parties, can bring people together, and whose real passion is technology. On that note, an organization that has really filled that niche is One Economy. They have really taken a proactive approach to solving the broadband issue and ironically, both of their Congressional sponsors are Senator Obama and Senator John McCain.

Connecting our Country

The next Congress and Administration has a lot on its plate. The economy, health care, and two wars are major issues. Analogous to working towards a Green America, if we change our approach, together we can tackle the broadband opportunity too.