Obama Sets Ambitious Wireless Broadband Targets in State of Union Address

President Barack Obama set a goal of getting wireless broadband to 98 percent of Americans by 2016. In his State of the Union address Tuesday night, he emphasized the importance of building infrastructure and promoting innovation. Obama’s remarks picked up on many themes in the National Broadband Plan that the FCC sent Congress in March 2010.

"Within the next five years, we will make it possible for business to deploy the next generation of high-speed wireless coverage to 98 percent of all Americans,” Obama said. “This isn’t just about a faster Internet and fewer dropped calls. It’s about connecting every part of America to the digital age. It’s about a rural community in Iowa or Alabama where farmers and small business owners will be able to sell their products all over the world.” Obama alluded to public safety’s push for a national broadband network, saying, “It’s about a firefighter who can download the design of a burning building onto a handheld device.”

Obama said his 2012 budget will include investments in information technology. “Innovation doesn’t just change our lives; it is how we make our living,” he said, citing Google and Facebook as examples of successful innovators. High-speed Internet will attract new businesses to the U.S., the president said. “Our infrastructure used to be the best, but our lead has slipped,” Obama said. “South Korean homes now have greater Internet access than we do. … We have to do better.”

The Hill response to the innovation agenda was favorable. “The President said we will need to out-innovate, out-build, out-compete and out-educate other countries, and I couldn’t agree more,” said Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va. Infrastructure investments and export incentives “are critical to American competitiveness and issues my Committee is hard at work on,” he said. House Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton, R-Mich., said, “Fostering innovation is a laudable national goal that knows no party boundaries.” But he said he favors a free-market approach.

Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., said he supports the administration’s wireless broadband agenda as articulated in Obama’s speech. “Unleashing unused airwaves is the key to America’s future dominance in broadband and mobile communications,” Kerry said. “In a post 9/11 era, it should be a top homeland security priority to ensure that we make available the spectrum and funding necessary for public safety officials to communicate, especially during emergencies."

Obama’s call for expanded wireless broadband deployment is consistent with the National Broadband Plan “and crucial for our country’s competitiveness in the future,” said Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass. Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Calif., said, “The President spoke of ‘Winning the Future,’ and the future of the Internet is wireless. If we want to continue to lead the competition on the Internet, Americans must have access to the highest speeds and latest technology."

The tech industry also responded favorably to Obama’s speech. Applauding the call for action on broadband, CEA President Gary Shapiro said, “Our nation’s continued movement forward depends on high-speed competitive broadband and finding the best uses for our finite spectrum, whether licensed or unlicensed.”

"The President clearly identified a blueprint for economic growth and prosperity, which is ensuring that every American -- and not just those living in urban areas -- has access to high speed broadband networks,” said NAB President Gordon Smith. “We encourage Congress to consider a holistic approach to the wireless broadband issue, including passage of spectrum inventory legislation that fully identifies fallow or warehoused airwaves."

Sprint Nextel Senior Vice President Vonya McCann praised Obama’s wireless broadband pledge and specifically his acknowledgment of public safety’s communications needs. National Telecommunications Cooperative Association CEO Shirley Bloomfield said she hopes “the president’s remarks, which raise the visibility of rural broadband and the key role of companies that strive to deliver it, will translate into policies that support rural networks -- and will ensure that broadband becomes and remains available and affordable for all consumers."

"As the President addressed in his remarks, we must encourage American innovation and continue to invest in advanced technologies, such as wireless broadband services, to remain competitive with other countries,” said Rural Cellular Association President Steve Berry. “Rural carriers are essential to help bring 4G LTE services to rural and hard-to-reach areas, and the FCC must recognize that Universal Service Fund support can make the difference between consumers in rural and regional areas having robust mobile coverage or none at all.” CTIA, the main wireless association, had no official comment.

The tech industry also backed Obama’s call to reduce corporate tax rates. The U.S. has “the highest corporate tax rate among OECD nations,” said Vince Jesaitis, government affairs director for the Information Technology Industry Council. “America’s tax system should be more in line with those of our major trading partners, which will help even the playing field with our foreign competitors."