[...] .. . Crafting programs that systematically augment the range of services and available training and expertise around broadband services in rural regions 4 The four factors that affect rural Internet subscription and use are: a) infrastructure availability; b) content applicability; c) pricing; and d) training Viable programs that influence these factors can take several forms Since simple deployment alone ,.. . however, appears to be an insufficient driver, any programs that stimulate deployment must be linked to investments in training and use The recommendations regarding rural connectivity are: 1 Adopt a national broadband policy that is capable of guaranteeing sustained investment in telecommunications infrastructure The United States requires constantly updated capabilities that are affordable and available .. . Internet and other new digital technologies hold great promise for youth, particularly for education, community-building, political involvement, and civic engagement Therefore, marketing policies should only be a small part of a much broader media research and policy agenda Among the issues that must be addressed are universal access to broadband, E-Rate policies, funding for noncommercial platforms, and .. . relaxed or eliminated It would seem more than reasonable for policymakers to engage in an analytical Introduction xvii process that assesses not only the potential harms associated with relaxing media ownership regulations, but also the potential benefits 6 In assessing and formulating media ownership policies, demands for rigorous data analysis must be accompanied and supported by rigorous data gathering .. . at the federal and state levels 2 The new policy should ensure that: a) Consumers can access all content and all applications of their choice online, without interference from any network provider; and b) Attach any device to any network, wired or wireless 3 Congress and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) should gather domestic and international information on broadband facts and policies .. . and rural health care providers aware of the programs and for evaluation to update and analyze data on program utilization and to assess impacts of USF support xxii Introduction Part IV: Content Public Broadcasting The need for public investment in media content and services has not abated, since the commercial market on its own is still unable to provide the media environment that makes for a thriving .. . and Philadelphia, then canals, turnpikes, railroads, telegraph, public libraries, mass transportation, public education, electrification, and telephone In its time, each gave rise to a policy debate about the legitimacy of the commitment to a material “happiness,” and the proper balance between public and private investment needed to reach it Taken together, these debates reflect a longstanding tradition .. . serve as substitutes for broadcasting among minorities Since minorities have less access to the Internet and broadband technologies, xxiv Introduction broadcast television, and radio, which reach 99 percent of the population and are consumed more frequently than Internet services by African Americans and Latinos/as, still represent for them a valid separate market The FCC’s Report and Order and Third .. . of this new nation, his portrayal of an advanced eighteenthcentury civilization provides hope for prosperity Access to communications channels has always been taken for granted in the traditional American belief in the trinity of opportunity, participation, and prosperity a belief so deep that it constitutes an enduring social contract.2 And, as we will argue, it should also be taken for granted when .. . construct a nationwide broadband network that serves local first responders, eventually replacing the inefficient and ineffective systems of today, and that is financially sustainable If it does, it will save spectrum, taxpayer dollars, and lives 4 The next president should demand a detailed inventory of federal spectrum and an account of how this essential resource is used Except for those bands that must . Library Cataloguing in Publication Information Available Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data And communications for all : a policy agenda for. class="bi x0 y0 w0 h1" alt="" . . . AND COMMUNICATIONS FOR ALL