[RTC List] Article - Coalition formed to push fiber via ARRA

[Dwight Winegar]

Just as I'm preparing to leave for a couple weeks following item just  
came to me from a colleague in Silicon Valley.   I could not use the  
share feature due to sender must be subscribed and have never used  
TinyURL, so I'll just forward the entire item with reference citation.

Meanwhile, I have not yet had time to do a write-up but I'm just  
wondering how many people on this RTC list are familiar with the PORTS  
program operated out of the CA State Parks for Education with K-12.    
The state budget elimination of State Parks from the General Fund  
could eliminate this program, and I'll have more details in a separate  
message to follow.

- Dwight

Coalition formed to push fiber via ARRA
Network Architecture Alert Network World , 06/22/2009

An impressive number of groups have banded together to push for  
building the Internet out in a particular way.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) laid out an  
impressive $7.2 billion for building out broadband infrastructure,  
much of it going toward communities that until now have not been  
connected or have been underserved. Part of the money is supposed to  
extend the infrastructure to community institutions, like libraries,  
schools and healthcare providers.

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Earlier this month, some organizations representing these institutions  
formed the Schools, Health and Libraries Broadband Coalition with the  
mission of highlighting their urgent need for high-speed, affordable  
broadband.

Members of the Coalition include the American Association of Community  
Colleges, American Hospital Association, American Library Association,  
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Center for Media Justice, Center for  
Rural Strategies, Consortium for School Networking, EDUCAUSE,  
International Society for Technology in Education, Internet2,  
Microsoft, National Alliance for Media, Arts and Culture, National  
Hispanic Media Coalition, National Rural Health Association, and many  
others.

One aspect of the coalition's platform is actually one of network  
architecture. The group espouses the view that schools, libraries and  
healthcare providers should get fiber-optic connections, becoming  
technology hubs and boosting affordable broadband access for everyone  
in their communities. The coalition calls these "anchor institutions"  
and wants fiber to these institutions to be the top priority of the  
ARRA.

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The coalition advocates interconnecting the anchor institutions to  
other "critical community entities." Non-profit groups, religious  
institutions and social service centers are all included under this  
umbrella. Clearly, the coalition is looking to get the maximum benefit  
to as many people in each of these communities as possible.

Jeff Caruso is site editor at Network World.
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