Hunter Newby, CEO of Allied Fiber, recently spoke with Gigabit Nation on a radio interview about the possible appointment of Susan Crawford as Chairman of the FCC and the current state of the country’s need for a nationwide broadband network. Hunter believes Susan Crawford would be a positive decision because she understands how networks work and therefore has the ability to influence policy. It’s always better to understand the scope before beginning a project rather than afterwards. If policy making is not completed accurately and efficiently, it’s rendered ineffective. Policy makers need to learn how networks operate, especially given the growth of public networks in the past several years. It is crucial that the decisions made by the federal government are careful not to discourage private investment.
Recently, the United States Congress and the NTIA have federally authorized & funded a project to create a nationwide broadband network, “FirstNet”. So far, the federal government has allocated $7 billion toward accomplishing this project but many within the industry haven’t heard about it. Even worse, many of those on the commission don’t have a complete knowledge of networks or telecommunications infrastructure. A common complaint about policy makers of recent times is that there are not enough technologists, therefore , the expectations of policymakers to properly assess the needs of this network are likely to be handled poorly.
During the discussion, Newby addressed how terminology has become a big issue within the telecommunications industry and infrastructure development mainly due to misinformation. Incorrect news reporting on definitions, shortened phrases, and acronyms confuses the public and allows those who read it wrong, to learn it wrong. A strong example of this is “Net Neutrality” is not “Internet Neutrality” - the entire point is missed if a writer is not careful. Other smaller countries have had more success with defining their needs and taking the necessary actions to build better networks with greater understanding. This plays a major role on both local and federal levels. With better understanding of how the networks operate, addressing the financial needs of a new broadband network is more likely to be done in an efficient manner.
At one time in history, the highway system was built and it created opportunity, ease of transportation, and increased commerce across the United States. A nationwide broadband network will do the same. Allied Fiber owns, builds and will operate its own network-neutral, fiber optic cable system, connecting sub-sea landing points, cell towers, data centers, carrier hotels, colocation huts, enterprise buildings, schools and governments with next generation, long-haul and short-haul dark fiber. This necessary dark fiber network, planned to unite along its route the continental United States, is created to address America’s need for more broadband access, wireless backhaul, data center distribution and lower latency communications services.
To listen to Hunter’s interview with Gigabit Nation, pleasevisit: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/gigabitnation/2013/02/06/how-would-a-susan-crawford-fcc-chairmanship-impact-broadband
