Background

Modern communications, whether it is voice, video or data, are converging to a single means of transmission, the Internet. As this occurs, it has become increasingly apparent that the existing set of communication laws, known as the Communications Act of 1934, are no longer sufficient to provide what the Act was designed for:

“For the purpose of regulating interstate and foreign commerce in communication by wire and radio so as to make available, so far as possible, to all the people of the United States, without discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, or sex, a rapid, efficient, Nation-wide, and world-wide wire and radio communication service with adequate facilities at reasonable charges.”  -Title I Communications Act of 1934

To address this issue, Congress and the Federal Communications Commission have set out to develop and propose revisions to the Act that will accommodate the Internet. These changes will affect communications in the United States for at least the next 15 years.

The potential impact of this legislation on the mission of colleges and universities is obvious. Therefore, this group of associations, which represent college presidents, business and communications officers from all sizes and types of institutions, have come together to present a united voice regarding the revision of the Telecommunications Act. This group has identified five key legislative goals, set forth below, that the community supports. The paper “Broadband America: An Unrealized Vision” develops these points in more detail.

Higher Education’s Perspective on Telecommunications Reform

Americans depend on the Internet to learn, create, work, conduct business and communicate. This “central nervous system of the information economy” directly enables innovation, productivity, and economic growth. How it expands and develops will significantly affect the economic well-being of our nation.

The advanced networks operating on campuses today showcase future benefits for all Americans, particularly in the areas of education, health care, and public safety. Spreading these capabilities throughout society will require a visionary telecommunications policy from our nation’s leaders.

We encourage Congress to observe the following principles when re-formulating telecommunications law:

• The United States should adopt as a national goal a broadband Internet that is secure, affordable, and available to all, supporting two-way, gigabit-per-second speeds and beyond.

• All components of the public broadband Internet must remain open to all persons, all applications, and all lawful content. All components must interconnect and interoperate using freely available, international standards.

• Telecommunications policy must ensure a level playing field for competing technologies so that market forces can drive continued innovation and affordable access.

• State and local governments must have the right to build and deploy their own public, broadband networks to enable full participation of all citizens in Internet-based higher education, workforce development, and telemedicine.

• The federal government must renew its leading role in funding academic research and development in future Internet technologies and applications in order for America to enjoy the full benefits of the broadband revolution and to remain competitive in the global marketplace.

We appreciate the difficult task before Congress as it considers the future of the Telecommunications Act. Colleges and universities have been leaders in the development of the Internet and continue to work hard on these issues. We encourage policymakers to take advantage of our experience and expertise as a resource