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Networked Nation: Broadband in America, 2007
Bush Administration Hails Dramatic U.S. Broadband Growth
Networked Nation: Broadband in America, 2007
U.S. Department of Commerce’s
National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA)
January 31, 2008
Four years ago, President Bush established a national goal of universal, affordable broadband access for all Americans. Since then, the United States has witnessed remarkable results in the growth of the broadband marketplace and the proliferation of broadband platforms and service options. The existing data indicate that broadband is available to the vast majority of U.S. households:
- According to the FCC’s 2006 data, broadband service was available in 99 percent of the nation’s zip codes, encompassing 99 percent of the nation’s population;
- Since President Bush took office, the total number of broadband lines in the United States has grown by more than 1,100 percent from almost 6.8 million lines in December 2000, to 82.5 million in December 2006, according to the most recent FCC data.
- By December 2006, 91.5 percent of ZIP codes had three or more competing service providers and more than 50 percent of the nation’s ZIP codes had six or more competitors.
The report examines the comprehensive package of technology, regulatory, and fiscal polices implemented by the Administration to lower barriers to investment and create an environment in which broadband innovation and competition can flourish.
For example:
- In the technology area, significant amounts of new radio spectrum are now available for advanced wireless services, creating opportunities for new licensed and unlicensed broadband services. Also, new technologies such as Wi-Fi hotspots and broadband over power lines (BPL) have been fostered.
- In the regulatory arena, new broadband infrastructure was freed from unnecessary legacy rules to level the playing field among competitive platforms and promote investment.
- In the fiscal area, the Administration led the preservation of the Internet tax moratorium and reforms for the depreciation of assets in order to reduce tax burdens and increase the flow of capital into the broadband sector.
Collectively, these actions have produced real, measurable benefits in the marketplace in the form of robust, multi-modal competition that did not previously exist. Providers across a range of platforms (cable, fiber optic, satellite, fixed and mobile wireless, etc.) are introducing new and innovative service offerings on a regular basis. Competition in the broadband marketplace is intense and growing, and this competition is helping to drive down prices and increase the quality and variety of services for consumers. With the dramatic increase in broadband availability over the past few years, consumers now have a myriad of choices.