Let’s see: President-elect Barack Obama needs to find money to fix a spiraling recession, bail out the auto industry, revamp health care, fight and possibly end two wars, create jobs, develop new energy sources, and combat terrorism—and now two higher-education organizations want him to focus on improving broadband access across the country.
Today Educause, the education-technology consortium, and higher-education network provider Internet2 announced that they have joined the U.S. Broadband Coalition. The coalition consists of high-tech companies, labor unions, state and local governments, consumer advocates, and many others who want bigger Internet pipes laid across the country, and their basic argument is that better access will be an engine for economic growth.
In a statement, Educause president Diana G. Oblinger said that America’s colleges have prospered because of the benefits of high-speed, high-capacity Internet connections. “Our nation must now extend these and the other benefits of broadband networking to all members of society as a critical matter of national policy,” she said.
The soon-to-be 44th president did say, just this weekend, that it is “unacceptable that the United States ranks 15th in the world in broadband adoption.” (He made the comments in an address carried on YouTube.) It’s just a matter of figuring out where this fits on the list of national priorities. It’s probably well ahead of picking the hypoallergenic White House dog. It would also probably help in many of the matters mentioned earlier. But figuring out how it stacks up against their immediate money needs, in a budget that doesn’t expand, is a bit dicier. —Josh Fischman
Developing online and blended learning programs requires research and collaboration. Learn how top technology companies are partnering with campuses across the country to advance online learning as it becomes an increasingly important aspect of higher education.