Content by Senator Durbin
Posted at 7:37pm on Jul. 31, 2007 Senator Durbin Live at RedState
By Senator Durbin
[Editor's Note: As with the post earlier today, please keep your comments and questions topical to the issue of National Broadband Strategy. We'll be deleting non-topic comments and questions. Thanks, Erick.]
Good evening, I'm Dick Durbin and I'd like to thank RedState and Erick Erickson for the opportunity to be here tonight. I’d also like to thank the many participants who have already commented on this effort.
As you may know, the Senate is currently in session and I may be called to the floor. I wanted to kick things off and get this discussion started. If I am forced to go to the floor, my staff Dena, Russ, and Dave will be following along and will be contributing comments.
I’m excited to be here tonight live blogging about this important issue. Already, there have been a significant number of posts about the specifics of what should be included in a national broadband strategy. In addition, there has been a spirited debate about whether it’s even appropriate to think about this policy area in such a manner. Serious questions have been raised regarding the roles of the private market and the public sector in the area of broadband.
These types of questions are exactly the reason I’m participating in this forum on RedState tonight. When designing federal policy, it is important to discuss details with informed observers and experts, and I’m looking forward to hearing their views tonight. In addition, I think it is just as important to discuss these concepts with those who might challenge your opinions and force you to rethink your positions. What we’re engaged in tonight is an experiment designed to facilitate these types of exchanges between citizens and lawmakers.
[UPDATE by Erick at 7:25 p.m.] Unfortunately, Senator Durbin was called to the Senate floor. He'll try to come back this evening if there is time. Meanwhile, his staff is monitoring the suggestions and questions, so please feel free to chime in on the topic. Thanks again to Senator Durbin.
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Posted at 11:00am on Jul. 31, 2007 What should we include in our national broadband strategy?
By Senator Durbin
[Editor's Note: I'd like to welcome Senator Durbin to our front page and I'd like to ask each of you to be mindful that this is an experiment in bipartisanship. Please keep your comments relevant to the topic at hand. Senator Durbin will be live blogging this issue this evening. Thanks, Erick]
Hello, I’m Senator Dick Durbin. I’m looking forward to our discussion about what should be included in America's national broadband strategy.
But before we get to any of that, let me deal with the 800 pound elephant in the room. What the heck am I doing blogging or even posting on RedState? And what do I hope to gain from it?
The answer is simple: different perspectives, different ideas, more people with a seat at the table. My hope is that I will receive comments and suggestions that will help me draft legislation that will make the United States more competitive in terms of broadband access. That’s not a partisan idea, but there are real questions that deserve to be addressed from a variety of ideological viewpoints – what are the right mix of incentives to build broadband infrastructure, how should we manage public resources like spectrum, what is the role of community and regional broadband projects, do we need a Federal Highway System or Rural Electrification Act for broadband, what role should the government and/or the private sector play and what policies are necessary to ensure open debate and innovation?
Following this process, I will draft legislative language, which will be posted online, for all to view and comment on prior to its introduction. To my knowledge, this method of drafting legislation – soliciting public comment, translating it into legislative language, and requesting comments prior to introduction – has never been attempted at the federal level.
I think this is a unique experiment in transparent government and an opportunity to demonstrate the democratic power of the internet. If we’re successful, it could become a model for the way legislation on health care, tax policy or education is drafted in the future.
Please read on below the fold . . .