"June 8, 2011, 7:01 pm
By Marc Parry
A budget approved by a legislative committee last week would force the University of Wisconsin to return $39-million in federal grants awarded to expand high-speed Internet access across the state, state education officials said.
The plan would also require all University of Wisconsin institutions to withdraw from WiscNet, a nonprofit network cooperative that services the public universities, most of the technical and private colleges in Wisconsin, about 75 percent of the state's elementary and high schools, and 95 percent of its public libraries, according to David F. Giroux, a spokesman for the university system. (...)
Another provision in the plan would bar any University of Wisconsin campus from participating in advanced networks connecting research institutions worldwide, according to Mr. Evers's memo. For example, the Madison campus would have to withdraw from Internet2, a high-speed networking consortium, said Mr. Giroux."
That's what Lessig had in mind when he said:
"Think about the question of broadband policy. (…) The US has been a dismal failure in this respect. As we watch the US going from number 1 in broadband penetration, now to, depending on the scale, number 18, 19, or 28.
And that change is because of policies that effectively block competition for broadband providers. Their answer, these broadband providers brought to our government, and got our government to impose actually benefited them and destroyed the incentives for them to compete in a way that would drive broadband penetration. (…)"
From Lessig's Keynote Address at g8 7:48 - 8:42 - http://www.universalsubtitles.org/en/videos/C6wmjKWrZwlP/
June 17, 2011, 5:11 pm
By Marc Parry
"Colleges and libraries have been up in arms all week over a proposed budget that would have forced the University of Wisconsin to return $39-million in broadband grants and withdraw from a nonprofit high-speed networking cooperative.
Well, state lawmakers have changed course-for now, anyway."
"TITLE II - PUTTING WORKERS BACK ON THE JOB WHILE REBUILDING AND MODERNIZING AMERICA
Subtitle A - Veterans Hiring Preferences
Sec. 201. Returning Heroes and Wounded Warriors Work Opportunity Tax Credits
Subtitle B - Teacher Stabilization
Sec. 202. Purpose
Sec. 203. Grants for the Outlying Areas and the Secretary of the Interior; Availability of Funds.
Sec. 204. State Allocation
Sec. 205. State Application
Sec. 206. State Reservation and Responsibilities
Sec. 207. Local Educational Agencies
Sec. 208. Early Learning
Sec. 209. Maintenance of Effort
Sec. 210. Reporting
Sec. 211. Definitions
Sec. 212. Authorization of Appropriations
Subtitle C - First Responder Stabilization
Sec. 213. Purpose
Sec. 214. Grant Program
Sec. 215. Appropriations
Subtitle D - School Modernization
Part I - Elementary and Secondary Schools
Sec. 221. Purpose
Sec. 222. Authorization of Appropriations
Sec. 223. Allocation of Funds
Sec. 224. State Use of Funds
Sec. 225. State and Local Applications
Sec. 226. Use of Funds
Sec. 227. Private Schools
Sec. 228. Additional Provisions
Part II - Community College Modernization
Sec. 229. Federal assistance for Community College Modernization"
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