Increased Prospects for Broadband Deployment under Obama
A broad coalition of telecommunications companies and organizations has called upon President-elect Barack Obama to prioritize broadband deployment and stimulate investment in broadband services. This large coalition – which includes AT&T, Verizon, Google, Alcatel-Lucent, organizations representing the cable and wireless industries, organizations representing state and local governments, as well as consumer groups – emphasizes both infrastructure deployment and demand stimulation to foster broadband investment, adoption and utilization. Specifically, the coalition advocates, among other things, expanding the coverage of broadband networks to areas where there are currently none, obtaining higher speed connections in areas where networks already exist, and providing subsidies to low-income individuals to purchase a computer or pay for a broadband connection. To achieve these objectives, the group favors tax incentives, grants, low-cost loans and loan guarantees, and universal service subsidies.
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