Failure to Communicate: Access to Universal Broadband Must Be a Priority
Ventura Star, May 16, 2005
By Terry Paulson, PhD

Ever since man advanced beyond mere survival, the ability to effectively communicate has allowed people to prosper. America has always taken the lead in creating communication systems to fuel economic opportunity. From the Pony Express, to the telegraph, the postal system, the telephone and the Internet, America has been successful to the degree that it could sustain a competitive communication advantage. Unfortunately, we may be on the edge of losing that competitive edge at a time we need it most.

Our success has not been lost on other nations. Developing countries have previously never had a way to catch up. Our extensive cable and telephone network was too expensive for countries to duplicate. Fortunately for the rest of the world, they no longer have to. They are bypassing installing wires and cables, by building wireless, cell phone centric networks and installing fiberoptics as quickly as possible. By doing so, they are bypassing our outdated system and creating a telecommunications infrastructure that is far beyond our own.

Today, countries such as South Korea, Singapore, and a host of other countries in Asia, South America, Africa and Europe are doing just that. They are taking the lead by establishing universal standards rather than a patchwork of competing, incompatible standards that America is stuck defending. As a result, other countries are advancing at incredible speed and bringing with it expanded broadband access for their citizens.

Broadband access is considered by many as the ultimate enabler of communication and commerce in the digital age. The U.S. has been an early adapter but has left broadband investment to private companies. This approach has been working with over 21 percent of Americans having high-speed access. But unfortunately, broadband access in our country is still spreading too slowly when compared with other countries.

Today, according to a U.N. report, the U.S. ranks 11th worldwide in broadband use, falling behind the likes of South Korea, Hong Kong, Canada, Taiwan, Iceland and Denmark. South Korea is spending $50 billion dollars to bring broadband access to all businesses and homes. Having just returned from Singapore where continuing education and excellence are part of the country's primary priorities, the Singapore ONE initiative is converting 800,000 households to high-speed fiberoptics that will connect 2.5 million users.

In a rapidly exploding global economy, broadband access may very well become the entry ticket into the game! Americans are worried about outsourcing, but we are not translating that worry into a national imperative to give all Americans the highway they need to compete in the digital age.

Why is this so important? Broadband opens the door to higher levels of telemedicine, online education, desktop videoconferencing, new forms of e-commerce and higher levels of productivity that global competition requires. The longer it takes for us to do a task-bidding on contracts, downloading or accessing vital information, or collaborating on projects-the less likely Americans will get the business. Equally important, many Americans without access won't be represented in the new wealth created by new businesses formed as a result of this amazing digital highway. In short, fast pipes stimulate significant economic growth. Telenomic research indicates that greater deployment would create 1.2 million jobs nationally and 100,000 jobs in California. Broadband access should not just be an option; it needs to be a necessity.

What stops us? The assumption that America will always remain the number one economy is our biggest obstacle. Complacency is dangerous for any company or country. When you add the resistance of companies who want to insure that their investments in cable, telephone lines and proprietary systems are protected from unwanted competition and the bureaucratic nature of our government approval processes, change is very difficult.

Recently, the California Public Utilities Commission issued a report, "Broadband Deployment in California." They note that technological advances such as tele-medicine, distance learning, smart homes and telecommuting require broadband access. They report that we lead the nation but that the state is falling behind in "developing policies to continue broadband growth and facilitate deployment of next generation technologies." In a digital world where speed is the key to success, it can take four years for a company to get approval for a lease request to roll out new services, effectively killing economic growth and jobs.

It's time we make universal broadband access a state and national priority. To protect the American Dream, we can't leave any household behind. Nationally, we invest in our roads and our postal service, but we are letting others take the fastest road to the future. We can't afford to let future generations play catch up on back roads when the rest of the world is racing forward on freeways! President Bush has called for "universal, affordable access to broadband technology by the year 2007," but his plan is short on specifics or funding. Write your politicians to make broadband access the priority it deserves to be!

Dr. Terry Paulson is a psychologist, speaker and author of The Dinner: The Political Conversation Your Mother Told You Never to Have

—May we never forget how truly blessed we are!