Broadband Reality Check / Free Press, the Consumer Federation of America and Consumers Union

Free Press, the Consumer Federation of America and Consumers Union released a report today detailing the ways in which the FCC's recent positive assessment of US broadband penetration is misleading and glosses over serious problems behind an ever-widening digital divide.

The three groups have called on Congress to take notice of alarming trends and enact clear policies that will free the broadband market from domination by a handful of large cable and telecommunications companies.

Their recommendations include:

* ensuring open access to all high-speed communications networks,

* removing restrictions on public entities that seek to offer broadband services to consumers,

* and opening up more of the broadcast spectrum for wireless Internet applications.

+ A full copy of the report, Broadband Reality Check, is available here
+ See Free Press website here

[Excerpt]

Wireless technologies can offer incredibly fast connections at a fraction of the cost of cable or DSL. But these technologies are being crippled by the wasteful allocation of the public airwaves and by incumbent-backed legislative efforts to stifle competition and innovation at the local level.