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Cohen: Broadband Vital for Jobs, the Economy
Speaking at the Alliance for Pubic Technology forum in Washington, D.C., CWA Executive Vice President Larry Cohen called for an end to the digital divide between rich and poor, through changes in public policy that promote investment by telecom, cable and wireless companies in the rapid deployment of broadband, high-speed Internet service.
CWA supports a policy that would bring bandwidth of 10 to 100 megabits per second to every home and business by 2010. He said deployment of a universal broadband network has been projected to generate 1.2 million jobs, "making it the best jobs program for our faltering economy."
The United States, with the largest economy in the world, ranks 11th among nations in the number of households with high-speed Internet, behind South Korea, Taiwan, Canada, Denmark, Japan, Sweden, Belgium, Hong Kong, Iceland and the Netherlands, Cohen told about 150 leaders of national consumer groups who attended the forum March 5. They represented people with disabilities and national education, rural and minority groups committed to the universal deployment of high-speed Internet service.
"In South Korea, more than 70 percent of households have broadband at 1 to 2 megabits per second," Cohen said, but pointed out that, "Fewer than seven out of 100 U.S. households have a broadband connection."
He called for timetables for deploying broadband by the local phone companies, which at present are the only carriers with universal service obligations. "Let's say, if you commit to these timetables for deployment, then we'll offer carrots - we'll take off unbundling obligations, provide tax incentives and public subsidies. But the deal is that the increased revenues must go to finance the social good of a universal high-speed network at 10 to 100 megabits per second, and not to higher CEO pay or inflated profits," he said.
He also called for price caps and subsidies for low-income and high-cost areas, to make broadband affordable to all Americans. He would extend those subsidies to cable and wireless companies that provide high-speed Internet access if they would commit to "universal, affordable deployment, one that would foreclose cherry picking the high-end customer."
Regarding voice over the Internet technology, "we cannot abandon universal service and other social obligations just because a voice telephone call is delivered with Internet protocol," he said, noting: "We must ensure that all carriers - regardless of the technology - contribute to universal service obligations, provide access for persons with disabilities, meet public safety obligations, service quality standards, and provide other consumer protections."
Cohen blamed Federal Communications Commission unbundling policies, which force the regional phone companies to lease lines to competitors at below cost in many cases, for a $30 billion cut in investment by the Bell companies over the last two years and for the loss of 70,000 CWA jobs. CWA is pressing for a level competitive field for every element of the industry, he told the conference.
CWA supports a policy that would bring bandwidth of 10 to 100 megabits per second to every home and business by 2010. He said deployment of a universal broadband network has been projected to generate 1.2 million jobs, "making it the best jobs program for our faltering economy."
The United States, with the largest economy in the world, ranks 11th among nations in the number of households with high-speed Internet, behind South Korea, Taiwan, Canada, Denmark, Japan, Sweden, Belgium, Hong Kong, Iceland and the Netherlands, Cohen told about 150 leaders of national consumer groups who attended the forum March 5. They represented people with disabilities and national education, rural and minority groups committed to the universal deployment of high-speed Internet service.
"In South Korea, more than 70 percent of households have broadband at 1 to 2 megabits per second," Cohen said, but pointed out that, "Fewer than seven out of 100 U.S. households have a broadband connection."
He called for timetables for deploying broadband by the local phone companies, which at present are the only carriers with universal service obligations. "Let's say, if you commit to these timetables for deployment, then we'll offer carrots - we'll take off unbundling obligations, provide tax incentives and public subsidies. But the deal is that the increased revenues must go to finance the social good of a universal high-speed network at 10 to 100 megabits per second, and not to higher CEO pay or inflated profits," he said.
He also called for price caps and subsidies for low-income and high-cost areas, to make broadband affordable to all Americans. He would extend those subsidies to cable and wireless companies that provide high-speed Internet access if they would commit to "universal, affordable deployment, one that would foreclose cherry picking the high-end customer."
Regarding voice over the Internet technology, "we cannot abandon universal service and other social obligations just because a voice telephone call is delivered with Internet protocol," he said, noting: "We must ensure that all carriers - regardless of the technology - contribute to universal service obligations, provide access for persons with disabilities, meet public safety obligations, service quality standards, and provide other consumer protections."
Cohen blamed Federal Communications Commission unbundling policies, which force the regional phone companies to lease lines to competitors at below cost in many cases, for a $30 billion cut in investment by the Bell companies over the last two years and for the loss of 70,000 CWA jobs. CWA is pressing for a level competitive field for every element of the industry, he told the conference.