FCC discusses broadband: the job is a big one - O'Reilly Radar

Around the time I submitted a proposal on the White House's open government dialog site for local forums to implement high-speed networks, the FCC released a 77-page report (in PDF format) that casts some light on the proposal. Their report, titled "Bringing Broadband to Rural America: Report on a Rural Broadband Strategy," covers a huge range of ground (and retells a lot of standard stories, including the reasons for universal service in broadband and a history of public infrastructure efforts). Some of the impressions I got relevant to local forums are:

* Calls for cooperation between government and "community and local advocacy groups." These seemed to be defined as coalitions representing particular populations, such as minorities and the disabled. The report did not explicitly suggest, as my proposal does, that everyone within a relevant geographic area be invited to the table...