Workshop: Benchmarks

Sep
02
2009

Workshop: Benchmarks

1:30 pm - 3:30 pm EDT
Washington, DC
The goal of this workshop will be to explore various metrics or benchmarks for evaluating the various dimensions of broadband across geographic areas and across time. The workshop will consider various metrics to measure such important variables as broadband deployment and adoption, the price and quality of broadband services, and the level of competition. Where appropriate, the workshop will also discuss formulas that compare these metrics for different broadband technologies or services offered under varying terms and conditions.
 
The workshop will also examine sector-specific metrics, such as how best to measure the deployment and adoption of health IT or smart grid technologies. These sector-specific benchmarks will build on prior workshops that focused on more specific issues, with the goal of identifying those metrics that will be most important and useful for tracking the implementation and impact of the National Broadband Plan.
 
The workshop’s goal is to identify those metrics that are most likely to be useful in assessing the broadband sector, tracking changes in the US broadband sector over time, and comparing US broadband performance against the performance of other countries.

Webcast

Topics

The following are some of the preliminary topics that will be covered at this workshop. If you would like to discuss any other topics, please send us your suggestions.
  • Review of key metrics for US broadband deployment, adoption, price, usage, and competition
  • Metrics for sector-specific broadband adoption, such as health IT, smart grid, or transportation
  • Methodologies for measuring US broadband progress over time, as well as international comparisons
  • Limits of benchmarking for policy decisions and program evaluation
  • Data collection
  • Data dissemination
  • Tying data to course corrections

Agenda

1:30 pm Workshop Introduction, Moderator, Donald K. Stockdale, Deputy Chief and Bureau Chief Economist, WCB
 
1:35 pm Presentations from Panelists
  • Gregory L. Rosston, Deputy Director, Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research 
  • Richard N. Clarke, Assistant Vice President, Public Policy, AT&T 
  • Scott Berendt, Director, Research, Evaluation and Documentation, One Economy 
  • Harold Feld, Legal Director, Public Knowledge
  • Catherine Sandoval, Assistant Professor of Law, Santa Clara University 
  • Jon Eisenberg, Director, Computer Science and Telecommunication Board, The National Academies
2:40 pm Questions from Moderator
 
2:50 pm Questions from Audience/Responses from Panelists
 
3:30 pm Closing Statements, Moderator
 
3:35 pm Adjournment

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