Friday, January 08, 2010

Didn't Get Your Stimulus Check?

If you didn't get your stimulus check yet, you probably haven't started rolling out broadband yet then. The Benton Foundation has the Top 10 Prescriptions for Getting Broadband Done. It's a smart checklist, but some will find it overwhelming because of all the time and effort (and thinking) involved. Sweat equity can replace capital.

The big issue is the Incumbents will fight you -- try to block your award, fight you in court, manipulate data through ConnectNation -- that's why you need community leaders as stakeholders.

"Incumbents are going to increase the use of local legislators to enable their attacks on community broadband so actively cultivate your own legislative support to enable you to deflect these attacks."

Furthermore:

Put the heat on the state agencies responsible for broadband mapping projects -- especially on states relying on Connected Nation -- to include 2nd- and 3rd-sourced, independently validated broadband usage data.

In another post by Benton, Questions To Ask Your Policymakers About Broadband, there's a reminder to ask your politicians, "Do you agree that broadband is one of the most important infrastructures of the 21st century?"

Even ARS got on the bandwagon with this article, Municipal fiber needs more FDR localism, fewer state bans

More at On RAD's Radar

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