Google, telcos become broadband allies

In the past, Google has had its tussles with the likes of Verizon and AT&T, but all that's just water under the bridge now that Internet-savvy Obama is about to enter the White House. Google and the telcos, along with some non-profits, trade associations and labor unions, have all come together, uncharacteristically, to support one bold vision: A federal policy on national broadband access. And the idea just may be a way to pull the U.S. out of its economic tailspin.

The 57-member group, called A Call to Action for a National Broadband Strategy, joined forces this week to promote national broadband policy. The U.S. has dropped out of the top 10 countries for broadband access, a situation the group is trying to remedy, and fast. With better broadband, and universal access, the group says the U.S. would be able to tackle a variety of problems, including better access to healthcare and education via telemedicine and online courses, as well as climate change via telecommuting and the enablement of a smart electrical grid. But the most compelling reason, and the one that probably drove the group of antagonists to come together, is economic.

The strategy, outlined in an Internetnews.com article, is as follows:

Broadband is the critical infrastructure for the next phase of economic development, following in the tradition of the railroad, electrical grid and oil pipelines. For instance, the Brookings Institution, a Washington think tank, has estimated that each percentage increase in broadband deployment would infuse the U.S. economy with 293,000 jobs. Just as the government in the past has adopted strategies for earlier infrastructures, the new coalition is urging the incoming administration and Congress to introduce incentives that would spur investment in broadband and drive awareness among consumers of its value.

To that end, the group is urging Obama to add money for broadband buildout into his upcoming stimulus package. It's a good idea, and is probably a relatively inexpensive way (vs. bank and car company bailouts) to stimulate the economy while providing much-needed infrastructure and services. Sounds a lot like a New Deal for the Internet Age.

• General discussions
• AT&T
• broadband
• federal policy
• Google
• Infrastructure
• obama
• stimulus plan
• telecommuting
• telemedicine
• Verizon