There is a way to create a rising standard of living for all Americans, Reed Hundt and Blair Levin argue in a soon-to-be-published e-book. The former Federal Communications Commission officials suggest policymakers should focus on two sectors-energy and broadband-to achieve economic growth. They write that as technologies become exponentially more cost-efficient over time, every sector of the economy will benefit from investments that make broadband and energy abundant.

In coordination with New America’s Open Technology Institute, Public Knowledge, and the Rutgers School of Law | Camden: Institute for Information Policy & Law.

Please join us for engaging panels discussing the public interest in wireless and broadband.

Presented in partnership by the New America Foundation's Global Assets Project and Open Technology Initiative 

Mobile connectivity is the critical infrastructure of the information age and, as the Arab Spring has exemplified, a solid foundation for a more empowered, connected, and inclusive society. Nearly 6 billion mobile-cellular subscriptions exist worldwide, and mobile penetration has reached 87 percent globally, according to the International Telecommunications Union.

Last year’s National Broadband Plan promised to unlock 500 MHz more spectrum to meet the exploding consumer demand for mobile data applications. Aside from the TV band, the largest source of new spectrum is held by Mobile Satellite (MSS) companies seeking the flexibility to compete with the large mobile carriers. Last year a new company called LightSquared received conditional FCC authority to use previously restricted MSS spectrum to build out an open wholesale-only wireless network covering at least 260 million Americans by 2015.