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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMMUNITY TELESTRUCTURE INITIATIVE LAUNCHES
CTI Challenges Communities Everywhere to Accept
New Responsibility as Key Players in Broadband Deployment
San Francisco, Calif.- March 17 – The Community Telestructure
Initiative launched today to develop strategies and implement policies that
will spur the deployment of local broadband infrastructure. The Initiative
asks communities to take formal responsibility for creating a local connectivity
strategy, as they have with other infrastructure elements such as water, power
and transportation. Premiere endorsers of the Community Telestructure Initiative
(CTI) include TechNet, the Public Technologies Institute (PTI), the Information
Technology Association of America (ITAA) and AeA, who have begun promoting
CTI’s message.
“The initiative is not intended to endorse a specific technology or
business model for optimizing connectivity. Rather, its purpose is to underscore
that local communities have a new responsibility to themselves and their fellow
citizens to assure their community has the highest levels of broadband capability
and access,” said Don Means, founder and principal of Digital Village
Associates and facilitator of the CTI.
Hundreds of communities are creating bold plans and undertaking innovative
projects to extend and enhance their local broadband infrastructures. By leveraging
public assets and natural market forces, these communities are behaving like
distinct local telecom/datacom markets. Because no two communities have the
same combination of social, economic and telecom infrastructure development,
the goals of CTI are further underscored. The CTI declaration at www.telestructure.com
also acts as a “concept hub” that will link key players to issues,
policies, resources and news that impact broadband deployment and local telecom
infrastructure.
“Local communities will play a new and vital role in determining our
nation’s broadband future. TechNet strongly supports local strategies
and policies that spur the deployment of broadband to all communities and citizens,” said
Rick White, President and CEO of TechNet.
PTI’s executive director Dr. Alan R. Shark says, “Historically,
telecom services were capital intensive and remotely regulated. However with
today’s advances in technology we need to provide the leadership to promote
greater and more affordable broadband deployment at the local level. It’s
our hope that through the efforts of CTI and its supporting organizations we
will be able to stimulate the kind of widespread action needed that will enable
local communities to more aggressively pursue broadband objectives,” Shark
said.
About the Community Telestructure Initiative (CTI)
CTI is a broad collaboration of public and private interests who pledge to
work jointly and independently to encourage local communities to take responsibility
for the design and development of strategies to foster broadband deployment.
The CTI declaration can be found at www.telestructure.com.
About Digital Village Associates
DVA is a consulting company that specializes in creating public/private partnerships
to work on community technology policy issues such as local telecommunications
infrastructure, and strategies for accelerated broadband deployment. www.digitalvillage.com.
Contacts:
Jennifer Colton
Flashpoint PR
Direct: 415-551-9621
Mobile: 415-420-5516
colton@flashpointpr.com
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