Spectrum of Greed

This is the REAL Economic Stimulus, right here baby!

If you haven’t been there yet, you need to stop by a website called Internet for Everyone.  My post headline is their theme.  This site was launched by several people, including an FCC member (Jonathan Adelstein).  Larry Lessig, shown in the YouTube video in my previous post, along with Vint Cerf of  Google mythology are supporters of this organization.

Why should you go there, you ask?  Let me count the ways…   we have less than 15% of our entire country using wireless internet, our current government thinks 200k is broadband, we have slipped past #16 in connected countries, most major parts of our country are lucky if they have 3 choices of internet providers, when you do get mobile internet it is going to be an add on to your phone rather than a service you can buy separately, you don’t have any choice of what phone you want to use with which carrier, (pause for breath).

While many groups have been trying for several years to get legislators to understand the critical nature of our internet infrastructure and it’s importance to our new economy, the efforts have fallen on deaf ears.  As a result, based on 2007 data (the best available because the FCC doesn’t take this too seriously), there is only one out of our 50 states that has a broadband penetration rate over 60%, and there is at least one that is under 40%!  This is pathetic!  I can save you some time, don’t even bother clicking the link above to go to their home page, just click here to sign up immediately.  The really cool part about the main page is that you can click on your state on the map at the bottom and it will tell you what percentage has broadband, and how many don’t have access.  What is not cool is that there are ANY people without broadband.  Facebook fans, you can join here.

They have four goals that I share, and any true American SHOULD share:

1. Access - Everyone must have access to a high speed, world class network (I would add wireless here)
2. Choice - In content and among providers (and I would add end point devices)
3. Openness - No gatekeepers, no discrimination - free speech and commerce
4. Innovation - Managed (regulated) to encourage entrepreneurship, new ideas, economic growth.

They are having a Town Hall Meeting March 7, in Durham NC.  You can find out more and register here.