A Declaration of Independence for Broadband Connectivity

A Declaration of Independence for Broadband Connectivity

A new opportunity for connectivity independence has emerged
Society today has a unique opportunity to unite and collaborate to establish communication independence. Ubiquitous, universally affordable broadband connectivity that enables multiple data and voice communication options has become vital to indiivdual and community economic and lifestyle independence, and increasingly, political independence as well. Independence means the right to choose alternatives for broadband connectivity from the perspective of the "first mile," not that of providers' last mile. The right to universal and ubiquitous broadband connectivty is now equivalent to other fundamental rights in our lives.

Connectivity is vital to individuals and communities
Open and robust communication infrastructure supports a healthy democracy and a capitalist market-based economy. Connectivity includes not only broadband Internet access at the residence and in the workplace, but also ubiquitous connection options, both wired and wireless, at the "first mile" - out at the ends of the networks. Humans and societies, diminshed in isolation, thrive in collaborative environments, stimulated and supported by high levels of open and affordable communication. We all benefit when we are all connected.

Big business and government have been slow to adapt
Telecommunications, now including broadband connectivity, has historically been provided by large corporations in the private sector, regulated by different levels of government on the public sector side. Big business and government (both state and federal) have fallen into a groove and have demonstrated a preference for continuity and evolution over innovation and revolution. They have continued in place systems and processes that reflect a sensibiity from a bygone era; the viewpoints in the debate, as well as the supporting infrastructure, have not been updated to provide US citizens the best options and the United States has become less competitive as a result.

The system that would give us ubiquitous broadband is broken
A dispassionate assessment of the current US broadband infrastructure system in the United States must conclude that it is broken, but not beyond repair. Most data and voice access in this country is provided by incumbent duopolies (large telecom and cable providers) and access is not available at affordable rates to all citizens in this country. Nor does the access we do have take advantage of the most current technological possibilities - we have set the bar very low on what constitutes "broadband," for instance. Ranked in 16th place for broadband penetration, we are not only behind other nations, we are falling further behind when digital inclusion is considered: even as some segments of our society progress, others that do not become separated by a still wider gap.

The system no longer acts in the best interest of the citizen: we need a Plan B
To date, state and federal regulatory and legislative officials who oversee telecommunication infrastructure and services companies as representatives of the public interest have acted conservatively in support of their own interests, with a short-term perspective. In general, they have acted more to preserve the status quo, generating revenue from spectrum auctions, and addressing incumbent player interests than they have to embrace the future strategically, enabled by radical technological change. As citizens, we must continue to work within the system to affect positive change and reform, but that path will take a long time to bear fruit. An alternate path for connectivity is needed, or we will all suffer the consequences. We need independence - we need a "Plan B."

A national dialogue on connectivity independence is needed
The solutions that will benefit the most citizens of the United States include some that lie outside of existing authority and power players, so we must begin to develop a flexible path around these problems, which will include a new connectivity plan. The people of the United States must begin an explicit, national dialogue on what it means to be independent with regard to connectivity.

Political will is necessary to make a paradigm shift
Indeed, technology advances have already set us free and provide us with the tools, but what we're still missing is widespread political will to shake off the old paradigm - when institutions and government act in harmony to keep our options under their control, they exert a very strong hold on our psyches and define our universe of possibilities. When they say "Telecom is a complex scale business - leave it to us to take care of you - your role is to keep on buying and consuming - you're a subscriber for our services," individuals become disempowered and find it difficult to imagine a different way of doing things.

Collective action is key to changing the paradigm
At the individual level, most lack the skills and experience to conceive, much less implement new connectivity concepts on their own and are at a power disadvantage relative to the big strong players in the private and public sectors. Many are unwilling to compete with these giants, having seen others fail in the past. But working collectively, we can be much more than subscribers and consumers. We can own our networks and produce and distribute our own content.

Cities, Chambers, and Neighborhoods have roles to play to create a new network
All cities have a role to play and should at a minimum be allies to this new movement. Small, targeted residential and commercial wireless cooperatives and networks are acheivable; we are limited only by our imaginations and political will. A linked network of infrastructure-access cooperatives, similar to the global Internet, can be created by linking wireless local area networks with common protocols.

In a highly dynamic environment, a portfolio of small players is less risky than a handful of large players
In a future that is less and less predictable, there's safety in a portfolio approach. A society with tens of thousands of innovation-friendly cooperative broadband access networks, each with a few thousand voluntary cooperative members, will adapt better to rapid change than a few conservative telecom corporations that provide service to millions of captive subscribers each.

Community cooperatives are a compelling alternative to large corporations
Where decision-makers at large corporations tend to act primarily to preserve and enhance corporate revenues, community cooperatives have incentives to experiment and learn from each other, reinventing the nature of communications and connectivity.

Natural systems use collaboration and competition to deal with uncertainty, so can we with connectivity
Telecommunications and connectivity in the 21st Century face a period of transition and change brought about by a disruptive Internet and advances in digital technology. Ubiquitous connectivity now has the potential to become more "edge-oriented," and we should apply new knowledge about how nature deals with risk and change. Connectivity can and should become more adaptive to change and innovation; it can become more biologically-oriented, developing and changing in a bottoms-up fashion, harnessing the power of natural selection and adopting an ecosystem approach. In a rapidly changing technology world, such a flexible approach makes more sense by better mitigating risk and providing more upside through more rapid adaptation and adoption of new innovations.

Infrastructure is only a path to applications, which provide solutions and value
There is a middle path between big traditional incumbents and newer municipal wireless franchises on the one hand, and more radical non-profit community network approaches on the other hand. That middle way is customer-owned, professionally-managed community cooperatives. Moving expeditiously past this infrastructure debate, visionary communities can install networks and cross over to the more interesting and rewarding world of new broadband and wireless applications, showing the rest of us the way to go.

We should start the natioal discussion with this declaration and these principles for connectivity independence

1. Complexity v. Simplicity in Design. Wired or wireless networks are complex, to a degree. Complexity doesn't go away with independence, but a new business model and paradigm can embrace more simplicity, challenging existing "rules" and traditional assumptions. Occam's Razor, for instance, would imply that the optimal solution may well be the simplest solution. We should be free to pursue more simple solutions to connectivity.

2. Professional Operations. The rules of physics, however, impose some boundaries on simplicity: initially, these networks will not be simple to deploy or maintain - they could be owned by the customers in cooperatives, but they will need to be managed and maintained by professionals. Network operators may come in a variety of forms, from traditional telcos to a network of smaller firms using standard operating processes, to a new large company or an existing large company - keys to professional operation will be network expertise and financial stability.

3. Local involvement. Local involement is important: limited partnerships with local investors funding the networks and recovering their investment from cooperative dues with interest holds potential. Nobody understands a local area better than locals, making them the best boosters for local infrastructure and a new approach to connectivity. Limited partnerships would give local business leaders a lasting incentive to make new networks successful.

4. Corporate Sponsorships. National, regional, and local sponsors can support network infrastructure deployments, not unlike the sponsors of neighborhood baseball parks whose signs line the outfields. Such sponsorships, similar to those that supported the development of US commercial TV network infrastructure fifty years ago, and public broadcasting since, indicate a model to emulate.

5. Comprehensive Stakeholder Buy-In. Such alternative network infrastructure approaches do best with widespread buy-in. Wireless neighborhood demonstration networks represent a low-hurdle and as such, are a good transition to the fiber networks that would provide the ultimate connectivity. Time and numerous local demonstrations should capture the imagination of the masses. Starting with a massive number of small wireless networks is the best way to get the most people familiar with a new broadband paradigm.