Subject: [NEXTEL-1] Michael K. Powell At Kansas Rural Broadband and Telemedicine Summit

From: Marcelrf <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 23 Feb 2004 19:43:00 -0500

Remarks of
Michael K. Powell
Chairman, Federal Communications Commission
At the
Kansas Rural Broadband and Telemedicine Summit
University of Kansas
Lawrence, Kansas
February 20, 2004
(As prepared for delivery)

RURAL LANDS OF OPPORTUNITY:
BROADBAND DEPLOYMENT IN AMERICA’S HEARTLAND

Thank you for the opportunity to join you today to discuss the
challenges and opportunities facing rural America in meeting the
telecommunications needs of the 21st Century.  I appreciate
Representative Tom Sloan’s tireless efforts to put together this forum
of distinguished legislative, regulatory, and industry experts from all
over the state.  I also applaud Senator Brownback’s leadership in
advancing broadband deployment issues in the U.S. Senate.  As a
co-founder of the Congressional Wireless Caucus, he is one of the
foremost supporters of new technologies which benefit Kansas and all
Americans.  I look forward to continuing the dialogue at all levels –
with federal, state, and local government leaders – to ensure that
broadband services are deployed expeditiously to rural areas.

Importance of Broadband Deployment in Rural America

Across America, the availability of ubiquitous, reliable, high-speed
broadband access is changing the way we work and live.  Computer
ownership and Internet access have grown remarkably.  According to the
Pew Internet & American Life Project, nearly two-thirds (63%) of
American adults use the Internet and that figure climbs to nearly 75
percent of those between 12 and 17.

High speed broadband connections are growing quickly as well.  Nielsen
Net Ratings recently reported that 50 million Americans now access the
Internet from home using high speed connections.  When I became
Chairman, that number was a mere 12 million.  And, if we need any
further evidence that high speed Internet connections are approaching a
tipping point, consider that during the six months between last May
through November, 10 million people were added to the broadband ranks.

The Internet also is increasingly becoming a critical source of
information.  Between 2000 and 2002, the online news population grew by
50 percent; those seeking health information online grew by 59%; the
number who used government web sites grew by 56%; the number using
e-commerce grew by 63%; and online banking grew 127 percent.

As the pace of broadband deployment continues to accelerate, we must
work together to ensure that individuals living in rural America are not
left behind in the digital migration.  Rural America in some ways has
the most to gain from broadband deployment.  Why are young people
sometimes tempted to leave rural America – often times because jobs have
migrated to urban areas or because of concern over educational
opportunities or quality health care.  Broadband may radically change
these calculations.  Broadband infrastructure makes it easier to get a
high paying job in McPherson or Garden City instead of moving to Kansas
City or Denver.  It means doctors in those cities can help patients in
Abilene and Pratt saving patients the long drive and anxiety associated
with being so far away from specialists’ expertise.  And it means that
the rich world of content on the Internet can just as readily be a part
of the educational curriculum in Concordia and Iola as it is in Chicago
or Washington DC.

Broadband can be the ultimate economic, educational and medical growth
engine for rural America.  Advances in broadband services, offered over
telephone and cable wires, licensed and unlicensed wireless connections,
satellite, digital television, and even over ubiquitous electrical power
lines offer the opportunity to significantly improve the quality of life
in rural America.  It is critical that rural America be included in the
path towards digital migration.  And I can assure you that my fellow
Commissioners and I are fully committed to this vision for rural
America.

This morning, I had the opportunity to meet and listen to a number of
providers who are working to bring broadband services to communities
throughout Kansas.  This afternoon, we will explore how we can cooperate
on policy issues to ensure that the economic and social benefits of
broadband technologies are realized in every corner of the state and
throughout rural America.  Together, we can and will do more.

I want to work cooperatively with state and local governments and
regulators, industry, Congress and the Administration toward a single
goal:  completing the work necessary to put in place the broadband
infrastructure necessary for a connected society that gives us more
choices, more value, more control, and more opportunity.

? Broadband Deployment Fosters Economic Development

The availability of broadband access is critical in attracting new
businesses to rural areas and giving existing businesses the
availability to compete with firms in more urban settings.  With
broadband access, worker productivity increases, jobs are created and
wages grow.  When rural schools can provide their students with the same
resources and information as those in urban areas, businesses can
benefit from a more highly skilled workforce, and then one is less
likely to need to look elsewhere for jobs.

Here in Kansas, broadband connections could provide significant benefits
to farmers and the agricultural community as well.  Broadband access
creates a link between buyers and sellers, bridging great distances,
facilitating communications and enabling products to get to market more
quickly.  It also enables farmers to monitor conditions remotely,
increasing productivity and efficiency.  Broadband also provides more
opportunities to earn “off-farm income,” to supplement revenues.

? Broadband Deployment Builds Our Communities

Broadband deployment helps us build stronger communities.  For instance,
advances in health care and advantages in education, through
telemedicine and distance learning applications, are possible through
the deployment of broadband technologies in rural communities.  The
FCC’s rural health and schools and libraries universal service programs
aim to promote the availability of those applications through special
funding programs.  In Fiscal Year 2003, schools and libraries in Kansas
received funding commitments of more than $13 million.  Rural health
care providers in Kansas received funding commitments of approximately
$48,000.  Under our leadership, we have worked to ensure that those
programs are fully utilized and that the funding mechanisms supporting
the programs continue to be modernized for this age.  Just last November
we reformed our rural telemedicine program to ensure that more money
ended up in the hands of those that need it and helped to cut down on
the needless red tape that had slowed use of the grants.  Every
community must have the opportunity to reap the benefits of these
critical universal service goals.

Telemedicine Applications

Telemedicine creates medical expertise on demand for people living in
rural America -- bringing millions of Americans from rural and remote
parts of the country closer than ever to medical specialists and the
leading experts in the medical field.

  Innovations in computing and telecommunications technology, however,
allow highly specialized medical experts to assist on-location medical
personnel to perform many medical procedures even though hundreds or
even thousands of miles separate the medical expert and the patient.  I
appreciate the leadership of Rear Admiral Mary Couig who is working in
this area.

Recently, I witnessed the transformative potential of telemedicine when
I visited the University of Virginia’s Office of Telemedicine.  There, I
saw firsthand not only the types of technologies that doctors can use to
improve health care, but also the telecommunications services – and
service providers – that are making telemedicine a reality in rural
areas of America and across the globe.  I look forward to learning more
about the University of Kansas’ efforts to employ telemedicine
technologies throughout rural Kansas.

Homeland Security

The migration to digital broadband provides the local public safety
community, on whom we rely for our protection, the information they need
to assess and act on threats, and the ability to communicate with one
another and with the public at large.  From E911, which allows police,
fire, and EMS the ability to respond quickly to those in danger, to the
ability of small police and sheriff’s departments to have immediate
access to databases previously available to larger departments in urban
settings, broadband deployment is a critical tool for the maintenance of
a secure homeland.

Distance Learning Applications

Through the FCC’s schools and libraries program, universal service
funding is bringing educational opportunities to more classrooms than
ever before.  Broadband access is enabling students to obtain real time
educational instruction from qualified educators in many subjects, where
that instruction might not be currently available in the local
community.  Students can communicate with and learn from people and
communities hundreds and even thousands of miles away.

The FCC recently had the opportunity to see how distance learning
applications are making a difference in the education of students in
rural Alaska.  Through broadband connections, students are able to
communicate with classrooms in neighboring villages, participate in
language and cultural preservation programs, and tap into educational
resources located hundreds of miles from home.  But we need not travel
thousands of miles to see first-hand how broadband makes a difference in
educational opportunities.  In your own state, through the KanEd
initiative, significant strides are being made in connecting almost 900
schools and libraries throughout Kansas to take advantage of these
important distance learning opportunities.  I applaud these efforts and
encourage their further expansion across this nation.

  While the benefits of broadband deployment in rural America are
innumerable, the Commission also recognizes that there are unique
funding and technological challenges in bringing basic and advanced
telecommunications services to rural communities.  Through the universal
service programs that the FCC oversees, the Commission provides support
to offset the high cost of providing service in rural areas.

I also commend Administrator Hilda Legg and her team at the Rural
Utilities Service for their efforts in administering the loan and grant
programs to fund broadband deployment in rural America.  Last September,
for example, RUS funded more than $11.3 million in broadband grants,
including a grant to Pixius Communications to provide Internet access in
Walton, Kansas.

Recognizing RUS’ significant funding role, last year, we announced a
joint effort to facilitate the availability of wireless services in
rural areas.  Through this partnership, we seek to coordinate our
activities and outreach on programs and financial assistance for rural
communities, to encourage greater access and deployment of wireless
services throughout rural America.  For example, we are working to
harmonize our rules and regulations, to combine our outreach efforts and
develop a joint Model Wireless Broadband Community Project.

I know Administrator Legg shares my passion for ensuring that broadband
reaches all Americans by the most efficient means possible – be it
wireline or wireless, satellite or cable – the most important thing is
that the personal empowerment that comes from access to the Internet is
a part of every American child’s experience.   We are searching for the
broadband infrastructure that gets the most broadband deployed per your
tax dollar spent.

And we are looking for more partnering opportunities to get this done –
with our sister federal agencies; state, local and tribal governments;
and industry.  Working together, through these types of partnerships, we
can and will continue to make a difference in addressing the funding
challenges in bringing 21st Century telecommunications services to rural
communities.

Similarly, we must continue to work together to address the technology
obstacles that many rural areas face in bringing broadband services to
their communities.  Broadband applications can be delivered over a
variety of technology platforms.  The challenge for rural America is to
identify technology and service options and tailor solutions to meet the
specific needs of the community.  It is not the Commission’s role to
select technology winners or losers, but to create a competitive
landscape that allows innovation to flourish.

Through the proceedings we opened just last week the Commission will
continue to examine policies to advance cutting-edge broadband
technologies and services.  For example, broadband over powerline
technology (BPL) has the potential to speed access to every home already
on the power grid using existing lines.  BPL could also improve the
provision and management of electric power systems, enhance homeland
security, and protect vital elements of our Nation’s critical
infrastructure.

Similarly, IP-enabled technology may provide an excellent opportunity to
leverage broadband deployment to bring competition and advanced features
to voice services.  Last week, the Commission took the first steps
towards building a minimally regulated regime for these new services
that will ensure they spend their money on deployment, not filling out
forms for bureaucrats in Washington. These new providers can spur demand
for broadband connections and new services and increase U.S.
competitiveness in the global marketplace as well as in rural America.
Working together, the Commission will ensure the promise these new
innovative technologies and services is realized for all Americans.

The FCC’s Rural Action Plan

Although I believe many of our policies help build connectivity for
rural America, we have also established a more targeted set of programs
designed specifically to assist with rural deployments.  This Commission
has put a high priority on making sure that Americans living and working
in rural communities have access to the same kind of high quality
infrastructure that is available in urban and suburban America.  Last
August, I announced an action plan to spur the deployment of advanced
telecommunications services in rural America.  The Rural Action Plan:

? Create Licensed Wireless Policies that Encourage Rural Deployment – In
a proceeding we initiated last September we began to look at ways to
lower regulatory and market barriers and facilitate access to capitol
for providers serving rural areas.  Our spectrum leasing initiative will
make spectrum more easily accessible to smaller operators like those
serving parts of rural America that may be overlooked by larger
carriers.  We are also considering additional flexibility in our
licensing and service rules for rural areas, for example by allowing
higher power limits, and creating smaller license areas in order to
decrease infrastructure costs to rural providers.

? Rural “Wireless Internet Service Providers” (WISPs)
o We are looking at ways to make greater use of unlicensed spectrum for
broadband access in rural areas.  These include the use of new
technologies such as smart antennas, and streamlining our equipment
approval in order to bring innovations to the market faster and at lower
cost.

? Satellite policy
o Satellite service is capable of reaching every American, bringing the
same kind of advanced services enjoyed in the urban areas to even in the
most remotely located parts of the county., and

? Establish a comprehensive outreach program to foster communication and
coordination among all stakeholders on rural broadband deployment.

The Rural Action Plan will ensure that rural Americans can realize the
opportunities of the digital communications revolution, and fulfill our
statutory mandate to improve communications access and innovation
throughout the country.

  In addition, we have held a number of public forums to highlight
technology innovations and solutions in rural America.  Most recently,
we held a forum on rural WISPs that highlighted how innovative companies
were using wireless technologies to bring broadband services to its
customers.  I commend Pixius Communications for their contribution to
the success of that forum.

  A few weeks ago we held a satellite rural forum to discuss how
affordable satellite technology could be deployed to deliver enhanced
broadband services in rural areas.  Through these informative forums,
the Commission learned important information about how a variety of
technology approaches, business models, applications and government
programs can help foster rural broadband and how our rules and
regulations impact deployment in rural areas.

  Today’s summit reflects our continued commitment to bring the benefits
of competition, digital technology and innovation to rural America, in
partnership with other federal agencies, states, and industry. We look
forward to establishing long-term partnerships with consumers, industry
and government leaders in rural areas to tackle the technology issues
facing rural America.

I am eager to continue our discussion this afternoon to explore on a
more “granular” level how we can work together – through federal, state,
and private partnerships – to further broadband deployment throughout
Kansas and elsewhere in rural America.

The digital migration is for all Americans.  I look forward to working
together to insure that your State’s citizens realize its promise and
have tomorrow’s technologies for consumers today.

http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-244205A1.doc
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