New Broadband Coalition to Push for Focus on 'Anchor Institutions'

More than two-dozen separate organizations joined to reinvigorate the public library as a community "watering hole" for broadband access as the Schools, Health and Libraries Broadband Coalition held a launch event Thursday at Washington's Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library. The coalition grew out of a realization that the Internet is now a "fundamental cornerstone of modern education, learning...and the dissemination of information of free speech," said director Jim Windhausen. The goal of the coalition is to direct Broadband Technology Opportunity Program funding to anchor institutions in unserved areas, particularly schools, libraries, and health facilities. While Jenni Terri of the American Library Association said that the economic stimulus funds are "only seed money," ALA's hope is that the coalition can stand for the long term as a continual advocate for universal broadband. Made up of 28 schools, libraries and health-care providers (and Microsoft and the Benton Foundation), the SHLB says these groups need between 100 Mbps and 1 Gbps.