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High-speed affordable broadband  connectivity to the Internet is  essential to modern society, offering  widely recognized economic and  social benefits (Annex 1). The  Broadband Commission for Digital  Development promotes the adoption  of broadband-friendly practices and  policies for all, so everyone can take  advantage of the benefits offered by  broadband.  With this Report, the Broadband  Commission expands awareness  and understanding of the importance of broadband networks,  services, and applications for  generating economic growth and  achieving social progress.  It has been written collaboratively,  drawing on insightful and thoughtprovoking contributions from our  leading array of Commissioners and  their organizations, foremost in their  fields. This Report is structured around  four main themes which can  help us to realize the potential of  broadband 

The European Commission is preparing a review of the present Broadband Guidelines by September 2012. This early revision reflects the fact that at the time of passing the Guidelines there was only limited experience at the European Commission regarding State aid notifications dealing with NGA networks. Moreover the revision has to take into account a number of specific questions related to technology which came up with the decision making in the context of public funding of NGA networks. The core objective of the present study is to support the revision process by drawing lessons from the implementation of past decisions and by clarifying a given set of technological issues.  Against this background the purpose of the study is twofold.   According to the Terms of Reference the study should   * assess the functioning of the existing framework by assessing the implementation of a selected sample of projects in the broadband sector. Such projects should include both European and non-European ventures, when the latter can provide useful insights due to their possible more advanced stage of implementation. The assessment should focus on an analysis of the potential difficulties experienced with the implementation of the conditions set out in the European Commission authorisation decision as well as on potential implications for the review of the Broadband Guidelines.  * give advice to the European Commission services regarding a limited number of technical issues which are relevant for the implementation of the Broadband Guidelines. The main issues to be addressed are:   (a) Technological solutions for NGA networks;   (b) Granting wholesale access to competitors on the subsidized networks  and different "open access" products;   (c) Separation.   The two objectives of the study are intertwined, and at the end lead to consistent recommendations for the upcoming revision of the Broadband Guidelines.

The Broadband Commission for Digital Development, in partnership with ITU- BDT, has developed country case studies taking an in-depth look at the state of broadband development in four emerging economies spanning the Americas, Asia and Europe. A series of case studies are being conducted to underline the importance of broadband and ICTs in achieving the MDGs, and to assist countries in meeting the Broadband Challenge and Targets adopted by the Broadband Commission in October 2011. The studies were launched during a special side event held at the WSIS Forum 2012.

This report assesses whether policies to raise broadband availability will contribute, as hoped, to local  economic development. Our analysis relies on the fact that broadband technology has diffused unevenly  throughout the United States, thus allowing us to compare economic indicators between areas with greater  and less growth in broadband availability. Using broadband data from the Federal Communications  Commission and economic data from several government and proprietary sources, we examine broadband  availability and economic activity throughout the nation between 1999 and 2006

The US is a long way from its goal of making broadband Internet available to all 314 million Americans. In its third annual broadband progress report, the Federal Communications Commission says 19 million Americans have no option to buy fixed broadband Internet service, and an additional 100 million Americans that do live in areas where broadband is available are not subscribers.

"BT is investing £2.5bn to roll-out superfast broadband to two-thirds of UK consumer and business premises by the end of 2014. Regeneris Consulting was commissioned to assess the potential economic benefits of BT's investment in superfast broadband for businesses and focussed on four case study areas: A rural area in the UK: Norfolk and Suffolk A UK town: Caerphilly A UK city: Sunderland The capital city: London The report and its observations builds on Regeneris' experience in the production of number of studies assessing the economic impact of broadband investments throughout the UK. Their work has informed business planning and bid development, including a number of the current crop of BDUK projects and projects to help secure investment from European funding sources. The 'Key Facts regarding BT's investment in Broadband' and the 'Summary of key observations' from the report are below. "

Google may be rolling out 1Gbps Internet access to Kansas City, but there are about 19 million American households and businesses that still lack any access to broadband, according to the Federal Communications Commission. Most of them are in rural areas, and some will soon benefit from broadband projects financed by one of the last pillars of the FCC's National Broadband Plan: the Connect America Fund. "I'm pleased to announce today that nearly 400,000 residents and businesses in rural communities who currently lack access to high-speed Internet will gain access within the next three years," declared FCC Chair Julius Genachowski on Thursday.

This document sets out best practice examples in planning an investment of public funds in broadband projects. The guidance provided is targeted at all Managing Authorities  in the  European Union (EU). The guide has been prepared by Analysys Mason on behalf of the European Commission (EC), and details the issues associated with investment planning and procurement that must be considered by any Managing Authority that is aiming to implement an EU-funded broadband project. 

Expanding wireless broadband coverage to 98 percent of Americans remains a key priority for the Obama administration in its fiscal year 2013 budget proposal. To help do this, President Obama has proposed a boost in funding for the Federal Communications Commission and the Commerce Department's National Telecommunications and Information Administration, two agencies leading an effort to increase the availability of spectrum needed to help expand wireless broadband to most Americans. Some of this new spectrum would come from empowering the FCC authority to auction off spectrum wheedled out of broadcasters.

"The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is working to connect rural households to broadband through the Connect America Fund. The Fund provides capital to private sector companies in order to help shoulder the cost of building out broadband networks to those homes. However, two of the largest service providers have opted out of the the free money saying that they would prefer to focus their attention elsewhere. One provider, Frontier Communications is stepping up to the plate citing significant business value in bringing these households online, a view which raises more questions about whether AT&T, Verizon, and Comcast are creating artificial network scarcity in order to provide a better picture for shareholders at the expense of American competitiveness."

The Federal Communications Commission has voted unanimously to reform the Universal Service Fund and intercarrier compensation system. It is creating a new Connect America Fund, with a budget of US$4.5 billion to meet the end-goal of this policy shift: extending broadband infrastructure to rural Americans, as opposed to subsidizing rural phone service.

The availability of faster broadband in Australia has the potential to generate $1 trillion in revenue for the country by 2050, according to a report from IT vendor, IBM. The A Snapshot of Australia's Digital Future to 2050 report written by IBISWorld and commissioned by IBM, highlights Australia's natural resources boom will pass in the next 30 years, making room for a "developed resources" economy.

"Declaring expansion of broadband Internet access the nation's next great infrastructure challenge, federal regulators on Monday unveiled an ambitious, decade-long strategy to make super high-speed connections available in every corner of the country. The plan by the Federal Communications Commission sets a goal of making sure at least 100 million homes have affordable access to networks that allow them to download data from the Internet at speeds of at least 100 megabits per second - at least 20 times faster than what most people get today. The proposal, which will be sent to Congress, also seeks to put ultra-fast Internet access of 1 gigabit per second in public facilities such as schools, hospitals and government buildings in every community."

L'internet très rapide est indispensable à tous les secteurs de l'économie et constituera le pilier du marché unique numérique. Ainsi, une augmentation de 10 points de pourcentage de la pénétration du haut débit correspond à 1 à 1,5 point de pourcentage de croissance de l'économie. Dans ce contexte, la Commission consulte pour savoir comment réduire le coût de la mise en place de nouveaux réseaux internet très rapides dans l'UE. En particulier, elle veut étudier des moyens de réduire les coûts de génie civil liés par exemple à la réalisation de tranchées pour la pose d'un réseau de fibre optique, qui peuvent représenter jusqu'à 80 % du coût total. La Commission pense pouvoir réduire d'un quart le coût des investissements dans le haut débit. Toutes les parties intéressées des secteurs public et privé, par exemple les entreprises de télécommunications et de services collectifs, les investisseurs, les pouvoirs publics et les consommateurs, sont invitées à contribuer à cette réflexion.

Last week, a Palo Alto city commission voted to recommend the abandonment of the city's years-old effort to bring fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) high-speed Internet connectivity to its residents. In a 4-3 vote on June 6, the Utilities Advisory Commission recommended to the City Council that the city stop analysis of expanding the city's existing dark-fiber network to all residents. The recommendation came on the heels of a feasibility study that did not have promising conclusions.

In a little over 20 years, the use of the Internet has become ubiquitous. Access to the Internet at increasingly higher connection speeds, is assuming a key role in guaranteeing both economic prosperity as well as social cohesion. The European Commission ("EC") has therefore set out an ambitious programme for increasing the accessibility of Internet provision in Europe under its Next Generation Access ("NGA"), a programme with ambitious roll-out targets that include improving download speeds so that all EU citizens will have Internet access at 30 Megabits per second ("Mbps") by the year 2020 and that 50% of households will have the ability to access the Internet at speeds of 100 Mbps or more. NGA will be key to the development of a European economy that is smart, sustainable and inclusive

Providers are extending healthcare to rural patients with financial assistance from the rural healthcare pilot program, a six-year-old initiative that provides funds for telehealth projects. So far, the program has committed an estimated $369 million of the total $415 million set aside, according to an evaluation published Aug. 13 by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

"À l'occasion de la présentation de son « Agenda digital », début octobre, la Commission européenne a annoncé qu'elle consacrera 9,2 milliards d'euros au développement du haut débit dans les Etats membres. Objectif : 30Mb/s pour tous d'ici 2020."