Collecting and sorting broadband data, including on pricing, spee...

held Monday by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies. Broadband adoption is as important as deployment, she said, adding that she will be doing community outreach on issues with adoption, particularly in disadvantaged communities. Clyburn said she will be talking to “real consumers” and work on community outreach projects, adding that many broadband solutions could be found through community outreach efforts. Consumer’s choice to engage with technology is a critical, and affordability and availability are only some of the barriers of adoption, Clyburn said. Helping people realize the relevance of technology to daily lives is important, she said. Extending broadband infrastructure to everyone and solving deployment challenges aren’t enough, she said. Many are not making broadband a priority and “my goal is to understand why,” Clyburn said. One-size-fits-all isn’t the solution for adoption issues, she said, saying listening and learning are key. Meanwhile, “we need to find ways to encourage broadband investments” and more USF portions for broadband, Clyburn said. A successful national broadband plan can only be created after understanding consumers’ mind set, she said. The Joint Center is working on broadband data, the implications of social networking tools on African American communities and other minority communities and partnering with organizations across the nation and working with local elected officials on issues including broadband adoption, said Nicol Turner-Lee, vice president at the center.