How Are We Moving Forward?
6:03 PM June 17, 2010
I just read a recap of comments made by Federal Communications Commission member Meredith Baker in a keynote speech at the Pike and Fischer Broadband Policy Summit. She raised some interesting points and confirmed some hesitations that are prevalent in the small business community.
Certainly a major point is that we need to be careful that we don't over-burden broadband as a more-regulated telecommunications service. We agree that there should always be a degree of oversight, however we can not lose sight of the fact that now, more than ever, we need to encourage private sector investment and innovation. Small business owners are the engine of this economy - and any additional burdens will discourage their investment. So let's be careful on how we classify broadband.
Equally important is that this struggle over oversight - how much, in what way, etc., is detracting from the goal of the National Broadband Plan. Each day, we lose forward movement because our focus is in the weeds rather than our ultimate goal. It is a sad day for all Americans when we take a step backward.
I urge the Chairman to keep the momentum for the Plan moving forward. Sure we'll have issues we need to deal with, and we will along the way, but let's not let it distract us from our primary goal.
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