[LINK] US GAO Report on Broadband Competitiveness

[Kim Holburn]

The U.S. Government Accountability Office has issued a new comparative  
study on broadband competitiveness, that finds that mandated open  
access is a consistent characteristic of countries that are successful  
in helping to facilitate a competitive environment.

http://energycommerce.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2138:waxman-boucher-release-gao-report-on-global-broadband-deployment-and-adoption&catid=122:media-advisories&Itemid=55

http://energycommerce.house.gov/Press_111/20101012/GAO.Report.Broadband.2010.pdf

> Waxman, Boucher Release GAO Report on Global Broadband Deployment  
> and Adoption
> Publications
> Tuesday, 12 October 2010 10:00
> Today Rep. Henry A. Waxman and Rep. Rick Boucher released a report  
> by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), examining the  
> deployment and adoption of broadband in developed nations.
>
>
> At the request of Chairmen Waxman and Boucher, GAO conducted a case  
> study of broadband initiatives in seven countries identified as  
> being particularly successful in increasing broadband deployment or  
> adoption. It found that all seven countries had achieved higher  
> levels of either broadband deployment or broadband adoption than the  
> United States as of the fourth quarter of 2009.
>
> GAO concluded that all seven countries have taken similar actions to  
> increase deployment and adoption, including five categories of  
> actions. It also found that the recommendations contained in the  
> Federal Communications Commission’s National Broadband Plan  
> significantly overlap with the actions taken by those countries.
>

> “Broadband is a key driver of future economic development and job  
> growth in our country,” said Rep. Waxman, Chairman of the Committee  
> on Energy and Commerce. “I am encouraged that the FCC’s National  
> Broadband Plan recommendations are consistent with proven  
> initiatives and policies utilized by other countries that, like the  
> United States, strive to be leaders in broadband deployment and  
> usage. GAO’s report confirms once again the importance of the  
> National Broadband Plan. Chairman Boucher and I stand ready to  
> assist the FCC as the Commission works to implement the Plan, and we  
> hope this GAO report will be useful.”
>
> “The GAO’s report confirms what the National Broadband Plan  
> suggested: Achieving universal broadband availability and  
> encouraging  adoption is a challenge best met by the government and  
> private sector joining forces,” said Rep. Boucher, Chairman of the  
> Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, and the Internet.  
> “Broadband today is an essential infrastructure, and we must ensure  
> that everyone has access to it at meaningful speeds and affordable  
> prices. One important tool for making ubiquitous broadband a reality  
> is promptly adopting legislation to update the Universal Service  
> Fund to allow its use by communications providers for broadband  
> deployment and adoption. The United States must do better than 15th  
> in the world for both broadband deployment and adoption. I look  
> forward to working with my colleagues and the Commission to ensure  
> that we adopt meaningful policies to do that.”
>
> The GAO report, “National Broadband Plan Reflects the Experiences of  
> Leading Countries, but Implementation Will Be Challenging,” provides  
> information on the status of broadband deployment and adoption in 30  
> countries that are members of the Organisation for Economic  
> Cooperation and Development (OECD). GAO found similar broadband  
> deployment rates among the countries, but found differences in  
> broadband adoption rates among the countries due to cost, income,  
> computer ownership, and other demographic factors. According to GAO,  
> broadband has been deployed to 90% or more of the households in 27  
> of the 30 OECD countries. Additionally, 17 of the 30 OECD countries  
> had broadband adoption rates that were greater than the average.
>
> GAO selected seven OECD countries for a closer examination, and  
> found that all of the countries had taken similar actions to  
> increase deployment and adoption. The countries:
>
> (1) established plans and policies to guide deployment and provide  
> leadership support;
>
> (2) provided government funding through public/private partnerships;
>
> (3) promoted competition;
>
> (4) implemented strategies to make broadband services more available  
> and useful to consumers; and
>
> (5) provided digital literacy training and consumer subsidies. GAO  
> concluded that the FCC’s National Broadband Plan recommendations  
> largely align with the actions of the seven countries examined.
>


Kim

-- 
Kim Holburn
IT Network & Security Consultant
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