SDRNews SDR2009-01-20 New Media in Lobbyist World
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Time for Lobbyist Gear Change
by Andrew McCaskey
The next ninety days are going to be some of the most closely studied days of the 21st Century. It’s going to be doubly critical, because it will set the stage for the next twenty years, probably more.
For technologists, there are three items of particular interest: Broadband infrastructure proposals, how those proposals get modified, and how the broadband infrastructure itself – principally at this stage YouTube and other new media distribution channels – is used to gather, synthesize, promote and sell those decisions.
Broadband development is proposed to get up to $6 billion in a new $550 billion package being considered by Congress.
Within two weeks Congress will consider a massive investment bill that includes an infusion of $6 billion for broadband and $650 million to get the government’s cash-strapped DTV coupon program back up and running.
The broadband plan will target high speed Internet access “so businesses in rural and other underserved areas can link up to the global economy.” And the proposal includes an additional $10 billion for science and research. There’s also $32 billion allocated for the development of renewable technologies, $31 billion to make public facilities more energy efficient, $10 billion for transit and rail construction, and $19 billion for water purification, flood control, and environmental restoration programs.
But public interest groups want some accountability strings attached. And if you thought any lobbyists were getting ready to apply for unemployment you may want to reconsider.
First of all, net neutrality is, for the moment, big on the agenda. Technically rational broadband would emphasize fiber networks – an expensive but longer term investment that has the technical capacity and capability to scale. But, the real story will be if and how these good intentions get gently shaped and structured so that incumbent copper from telcos and coax from the cable industry worm their way in as “interim alternatives” that somehow become more permanent.
If the incoming administration can hold onto the vision and execute a truly modern infrastructure investment program, that money is going to be well spent. It is all going to be a function of who gets the communications flowing. And my bet is that the experts in old media are about to get trumped by a far more nimble communications, promotion and sales job.
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