Former FCC Chairman Michael Powell said the commission should giv...

Broadband for America. “The USF is really about subsidizing phone service, but increasingly and eventually, broadband will become more important and more indispensable,” Powell said. “The USF should recognize that and adjust.” Neither the government nor the private sector acting alone can make broadband universal in the U.S., Powell said. “This is a massive and very expensive project,” he said. “The FCC estimates that it might cost as much as $350 billion to deploy a single fiber network to every home in America. In a public deficit environment one cannot imagine government ponying up that kind of money. So, private investment will be critical. At the same time, private industry needs government support in many ways -- developing a proper regulatory environment, helping secure rights of way and local access to build infrastructure are examples. Also, both sides want to increase adoption.” Asked how to increase adoption rates, Powell said the U.S. “needs to do a better job of showing and demonstrating why and how these connections can improve every day lives, advance educational opportunity for their kids, increase their options for career enhancement, and manage their health.” Powell also stressed the importance of getting more spectrum online for commercial use. “Wireless broadband is going to be a huge component of the broadband world,” he said. “For example, African-Americans have one of the lowest adoption rates for wireline service, but one of the highest rates of using data on mobile phones. Getting more spectrum and increasing efficiency of its use is critical.” Powell, along with the other honorary co-chairman of the group, former U.S. Rep. Harold Ford, D-Tenn., made a commercial that started airing in some markets Dec. 6 -- www.broadbandforamerica.com/video.