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S. 1492 - Broadband Data Improvement Act | S. 1492 would establish a Federal Grant program to support States' efforts to improve Broadband Communication Service. It would require the Federal Communication Commission, (FCC), to collect detailed data from Broadband Internet companies.
The bill would direct Government Accountability Office to study Broadband Standards in the United States, as well as the Availability and Quality of Broadband offerings in the United States and other countries.
S. 1492 also would require the Small Business Administration to evaluate the Speed and Price of Broadband Service on Small Business.
Section 6 would authorize the appropriation of $40 million annually over the 2008-2012 period for a Grant Program to support Statewide initiatives to improve Broadband service.
Such grants would be used to measure, monitor, and expand the availability and use of Broadband Services.
S. 1492 would impose a Private-Sector Mandate, as defined in UMRA, because it would direct the FCC to revise its rule that requires Providers of Broadband Services to report certain data.
Under the Bill, Broadband Providers would likely have to data on Broadband Availability and Connections within nine-digit Zip-Code areas instead of by five-digit Zip-Code as us currently required.
[Why this is important for the Consumer -- a recent report in the Washington Post, "Japan's Warp-Speed Ride To Internet Future",
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/28/AR2007082801990.html
"Broadband service here is eight to 30 times as fast as in the United States -- and considerably cheaper. Japan has the world's fastest Internet connections, delivering more data at a lower cost than anywhere else, recent studies show.
"In a Tokyo demonstration using Ultra-High-Speed Broadband, a life-size, high-definition image of a distant colleague is projected onto a screen.
Accelerating Broadband Speed in Japan -- as well as in South Korea and much of Europe -- is pushing open doors to Internet Innovation that are likely to remain Closed For Years to come in much of the United States.
The speed advantage allows the Japanese to watch Broadcast-Quality, Full-Screen Television over the Internet, an experience that mocks the grainy, wallet-size images Americans endure.
Ultra-High-Speed applications are being rolled out for Low-Cost, High-Definition Teleconferencing, for Telemedicine -- which allows urban doctors to diagnose diseases from a distance -- and for Advanced Telecommuting to help Japan meet its goal of doubling the number of people who work from home by 2010.
"For now and for at least the short term, these applications will be cheaper and probably better in Japan," said Robert Pepper, senior managing director of Global Technology Policy at Cisco Systems, the networking giant.
Japan has surged ahead of the United States on the wings of Better Wire and more aggressive Government Regulation, industry analysts say.
"The copper wire used to hook up Japanese homes is newer and runs in shorter loops to Telephone Exchanges than in the United States.
"This is partly a matter of geography and demographics: Japan is relatively small, highly urbanized and densely populated.
"But better wire is also a legacy of American bombs, which razed much of urban Japan during World War II and led to a wholesale rewiring of the country.
"In 2000, the Japanese government seized its advantage in wire. In sharp contrast to the Bush Administration over the Same Time Period, Regulators here compelled Big Phone Companies to open up wires to upstart Internet Providers.
"In short order, Broadband exploded. At first, it used the same DSL technology that exists in the United States.
"But because of the better, shorter wire in Japan, DSL service here is much faster. Ten to 20 times as fast, according to Pepper, one of the world's leading experts on broadband infrastructure.
"Indeed, DSL in Japan is often five to 10 times as fast as what is widely |  | asked by grandpa24551, 8/31/2007 |
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