New Survey Calls Government Broadband Goals Wimpy

Politicians and businesspeople keep talking about the importance of improving broadband Internet access. But will their recommendations really help spur economic development? A new report, prepared by the consulting firm Successful.com and sponsored by the International Economic Development Council (IEDC), casts some doubt.

While the majority of respondents agreed that broadband can improve local economies, most also felt that broadband targets set by the U.S. federal government were too low. More than 90% said that supplying 4 megabits per second (Mbps) broadband to rural areas, a goal outlined in the Federal Communications Commission's National Broadband Plan, is insufficient to meet their economic development goals. The majority of respondents cited 100-120 Mbps as the minimum speed needed to "directly impact" economic development in their areas. Many expressed support for even higher speeds, such as 500 Mbps and 1 gigabit. Respondents were also dissatisfied with the government's timetable for rolling out faster broadband in urban and suburban areas. A majority (55%) said federal agencies should deploy 100 Mbps broadband in these areas by 2013. The National Broadband Plan, which was released in March, is more conservative. It calls for 100 Mbps broadband for 100 million (mostly suburban and urban) U.S. households by 2020.