NCTA CEO Kyle McSlarrow has posted a six-minute entry (available here) on YouTube that explains the cable industry’s position on stimulating broadband growth in the U.S.
McSlarrow explains that the issues associated with broadband fall into four buckets: affordability, adoption, deployment and next-generation architecture.
To address the affordability issue, the NCTA recommends looking at the Universal Service Fund and other lifeline funds, now dedicated for telephony, and expand them to include broadband.
Wider adoption of broadband requires the means to connect – a PC; McSlarrow says a program to help subsidize netbooks would help to “move the needle there.”
Deployment is a tougher issue, he explains. It’s appropriate for the government to create incentives for private providers to reach the 8 percent to 10 percent of the country that is unserved.
Finally, it’s appropriate, McSlarrow argues, to create incentives to private providers to upgrade to next-generation architectures.
Other NCTA vlog entries can be accessed here.
