By Justin O'Brien
February 2, 2009

The nation's mayors discussed the imperative of large-scale broadband deployment for global competitiveness during their plenary luncheon January 18 as part of the mayors 44th Winter Meeting in Washington (DC). Mayors see fiber and wireless broadband deployment in the nation's cities as a core issue to ensuring the country's global competitiveness and crucial to ensuring opportunity for disadvantaged communities. As a candidate and as President-Elect, President Obama has continuously spoken of the need to deploy broadband and high-speed internet service for the same reasons. The mayors called for comprehensive federal broadband deployment policy during their Annual Conference last June in Miami. The United States has dropped to 15th in the world in broadband deployment.

The mayors were joined by President and CEO Alberto Ibarguen of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation for the discussion. James Farstad of the Knight Center of Digital Excellence moderated a panel discussion with Conference President Miami Mayor Manny Diaz, Vice-President Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels, 2nd Vice President Burnsville (MN) Mayor Elizabeth B. Kautz, Past President Akron (OH) Mayor Donald L. Plusquellic, and Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter. Farstad framed the issues of financial and deployment models across various sectors in his presentation.

In opening remarks, Diaz described the importance and timeliness of smart infrastructure and broadband investment to ensure opportunity and competitiveness for the long-term across generations. Several attempts at large-scale broadband deployment in cities have had mixed success in part due to financial models and commercial concerns. The result has been limited or no access for large population segments in American cities. Diaz and Miami have begun to implement a community broadband deployment strategy focused on accessibility and affordability in partnership with the Knight Center. The Knight Center is implementing public interest deployment strategies in 26 cities nationwide including Miami, Akron, Detroit, Milledgeville (GA), St. Paul and Philadelphia.

Ibarguen described the public interest imperative and potential of sustainable universal access and its revolutionizing effect on community-wide opportunity with engaged citizens and community. Farstad provided examples of transformative economic development and job creation effects sharing that in the same way as rail and telephones revolutionized development, so too in the digital age the fate and future of cities and their communities will be determined by high speed broadband deployment.

Farstad explained how local leadership is necessary and best positioned to ensuring last-mile deployment of fiber and wireless internet service to sustain the viability and interests of cities and local communities. Sustainable business models provide digital capacity for global competitiveness with dual citizen and commercial focus. City leaders must be seen as the key partners to drive community connections, he explained, providing international examples of competitive advantage resulting from deployment. Broadband deficiency in the United States has resulted in limited U.S. productivity gains.

During the panel discussion, Plusquellic emphasized the importance of access and the ease with which models can be duplicated. Noting the transformative effect of broadband deployment in moving from once industrial economies to the digital era, Plusquellic described levels of community engagement and the possibilities via a range of community applications from business to social service agencies. Nutter described the difficulties of some commercial models and accomplishing goals while encouraging competition and service provision. Noting that there are no quick fixes, he explained that mayors must remain focused on the goals and objectives in deploying high-speed broadband including resident access. Kautz described investments Burnsville has made in fiber deployment to underpin and ensure citizen and commercial opportunity. Nickels spoke to unique opportunities and challenges in business cases for wider scale service provision given different cities' existing structures and resources. Seattle uniquely has its own city power utility.