Community Broadband: Support

Getting broadband to your community often requires technical, financial and moral support. The dual challanges of getting people in your community to understand the opportunity and implementation challenges often seem too much. Beyond consumer level broadband it is equally difficult to get communities to understand that cost competitive peer level internet bandwidth is also important. Local IP transit exchanges can provide the advantage of competition at a local level while improving traffic patterns. This page identifies some approaches to getting that support.

CENIC: Corporation for Education Network Inititives
A not-for-profit corporation formed by the California Insititue of Technology, the California State University, Stanford University, the University of California, and the University of Southern California to facilitate and coordinate the deployment, development, and operation of a set of seamless and robust advanced network services.

Pew Internet and American Life:
The Pew Internet & American Life Project will create and fund original, academic-quality research that explores the impact of the Internet on children, families, communities, the work place, schools, health care and civic/political life. The Project aims to be an authoritative source for timely information on the Internet's growth and societal impact, through research that is scrupulously impartial.

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization:
Ethical, legal & societal challenges of the Information Society

Australia's Broadband Connectivity: The Broadband Advisory Group's Report to Government ( Jan 2003 )
The Broadband Advisory Group (BAG) has developed recommendations to contribute to the Commonwealth Government’s strategic review of broadband policy. The group was formed in March 2002 to advise the Government on broadband issues and has consulted widely with stakeholders and the public. Major themes to emerge have been the great potential of broadband to boost economic growth and the importance of a coordinated national approach to broadband connectivity. This will ensure that Australia has the infrastructure necessary to support innovation and productivity growth, underpinning future economic prosperity in an increasingly open and competitive global economy.

NOIE National Office for the Information Economy AU: Broadband Advisory Committee (BAG)
The Broadband Advisory Group (BAG) is the Federal Government's advisory body on broadband development in Australia.

Cooperative Association of Canada:
The Canadian Co-operative Association (CCA) is the national umbrella organization of anglophone co-operatives. Formed in 1987 through the merger of the Co-operative College of Canada and the Co-operative Union of Canada, the CCA supports and promotes co-operative enterprise in Canada and around the world. CCA's national office is in Ottawa and its regional affiliate offices are located in Vancouver, Edmonton, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Guelph, Moncton, and St. John's. We also have offices in eight countries outside of Canada.

Canadian Rural Partnerships: Canada
Federal departments and agencies are increasingly aware of the effects of their policies, programs and services on rural Canada. Consequently, when considering future initiatives, decision-makers are making a concerted effort to understand the impact of new policies and programs on rural Canada. Through a Rural Team Canada approach we are inviting all stakeholders to be part of building partnerships, networks and alliances to address key rural issues.

Community Access Program: Canada
In rural Canada, CAP has clearly demonstrated the benefits of affordable public Internet access and opened doors to a multitude of new possibilities for rural communities. We wish to thank all applicants for their enthusiastic participation. Together, we created a partnership model that helped raise awareness of the Information Highway, and that will help Canada remain a world leader in the innovative use of information technologies.

Infrastructure Program: Canada
As part of its commitment to maintain and improve quality of life for all Canadians, the Government of Canada has launched a new six-year program to renew and enhance Canada's physical infrastructure. The program will mobilize provincial, territorial, municipal, and private sector partners to address 21st century infrastructure challenges in rural and urban municipalities across Canada.
The October 1999 Speech from the Throne announced a new vision of 21st century infrastructure for Canada, including knowledge, information, cultural, and physical infrastructure. Budget 2000 provided $2.65 billion of  funding for the physical infrastructure program. The new program has two components: municipal infrastructure, called Infrastructure Canada and a highways component, administered by Transport Canada.  Up to $600 million of the $2.65 billion total may be spent on the highways component.

Canadian Association of Internet Providers CAIP: Canada
CAIP's Mission is to foster the growth of a healthy and competitive Internet service industry in Canada through collective and cooperative action on Canadian and international issues of mutual interest.