The Media Moment

No, it is not a moment of on screen performance but the opportunity to redirect media and internet policy in the United States. Media reform activists are energized by Obama's clear positions on preserving network neutrality, reversing policies promoting media consolidation, and rebuilding public media for the digital age.

The reform group Free Press just released a policy paper filling in some details of Obama's stated principles. It calls for:

• Protecting an Open Internet: The Obama administration should move swiftly to put Net Neutrality into law by urging Congress to pass Net Neutrality legislation.
  
• Promoting Universal, Affordable Broadband: The next FCC should set new speed standards for broadband; collect meaningful data on deployment; transition the Universal Service Fund toward broadband; and open inquiries to stimulate broadband competition.
• Increasing Diversity in Media Ownership: The road to media ownership reform begins by reversing the Bush administration's pro-consolidation policies. Obama's FCC should also investigate the impact of concentration on localism and diversity.
• Renewing Public Media: Urge Congress to substantially increase funding for all levels of public media; create a long-term funding strategy that protects public media from undue political interference and supports the digital transition; and promote new Low Power FM stations and existing PEG channels.

Broadband Stimulus

Some are arguing that building up the US broadband infrastructure should be a component of an economic stimulus plan. The US falls in the middle of the pack in terms of broadband adoption, with over 40 million people -- approximately 5 million in Ohio -- without broadband. Most communities have only one or two providers, a dearth of competition that keeps prices high and performance low. This compromises US competitiveness by limiting education, telemedicine, entrepreneurism and civic and economic participation.

In the National Governors Association letter to Congress Gov. Ed Rendell of Pennsylvania and Gov. Jim Douglas of Vermont wrote:

"[I]nvestments in ready-to-go infrastructure projects are a cost effective creator of high paying jobs. These investments should include a broad array of infrastructure projects including airports, highways, transit systems, clean water, sewers and broadband."

The Brookings Institute has released a study in which it estimates that each percentage point increase in broadband adoption results in nearly 300,000 jobs each year.

I think the most intersting argument is made by Yochai Benkler who argues for British-style federal effort to build fiber to the home aligned with a massive "each one teach one" effort to build up our nations math and science knowledge:

"We are happily contemplating paying people to dig up roads and pour cement. They will be building our physical infrastructure. There is no reason why we should not be equally happy paying people to teach, learn, and share what they learned. They will be building our knowledge infrastructure. Coupled with fiber to the home, by the end of the recovery we will have more of our population connected to much faster networks that will allow them to work from home, and they will be much better prepared to use that connectivity in a networked information economy."

Given Obama's seriousness about technology -- he plans to create a cabinet level Chief Technology Officer -- we could have very different media landscape in the near future.