"No exit ramps"

Without an integrated system of interstate highways, county roads, city streets, and neighborhoods, life in America would be far different --- it would be more risky, less prosperous, and lacking in the efficiency and comfort that Americans now enjoy and take for granted. People would be crowded into more densely packed inner cities, intercity travel would occur less often and be more cumbersome; freight charges would be higher and, as a consequence, so would prices.

The interstate highway system is an engine that has driven 40 years of unprecedented prosperity and positioned the United States to remain the world's pre-eminent power into the 21st century. Simply put, open access to our nation’s interstate highway system has broken the geographical divide that once existed in America. However, the US’s ability to remain a pre-eminent power is contingent upon our ability to deploy an integrated information highway system that matches the size and scope of the paved system deployed over 40 years ago.

Today, access to information is the key differentiator. Countries that have invested in the type of infrastructure that ensures future proof access to information will surpass communities who have not. Unfortunately, America has allowed commercial service providers, who were subsidized by the federal government to develop the nation’s communications infrastructure. Although this method ensured that most American’s had access to the telephone network, service providers, determined to maximize profits, chose not to invest into the type of infrastructure that would ensure that America would remain competitive in a growing digital economy. As a result, America’s information highway system mimics America’s paved interstate highway system in the 1920’s --- dirt roads interconnected to cobblestone roads.

Broadband, which is a digital medium that has the capacity to deliver multiple digital service signals, is considered to be the digital road. Like the road, it does not matter what transverse it, as long as it can handle the volume to keep it moving at the required speeds. Now imagine if the federal government allowed private industry to build the roads we all transverse daily. Then imagine if they built them like our nation’s telecommunications companies. Unlike our paved roads and streets which are designed to handle the traffic capacities of today and tomorrow, service providers build digital roads that are built to handle the traffic that they own (subscribers). Any non-subscriber is forced to either access another provider’s road, or become isolated. This is no different than have the City compete with the County who is also competing with the State to connect to your driveway. You may want to connect to the City Street, but may only have available the State Highway, but can’t afford the highway connection, which means you don’t get access at all. This is the paradigm that plagues American communities. Those who want access do not have the facilities required to meet their bandwidth needs and those who do have access, are forced to subscribe at rates that are simply unaffordable. As a result, they are still not connected, thus isolated. This is even more prevalent in rural communities where our nation’s backbone providers have built large, transport networks that move broadband-based data from one metro area to another. This is the equivalent of having and interstate that travels for 200 miles without any exit ramps. Sure, you can move massive amounts of data from one urban city to another, however no community in-between will benefit from the connection unless they are directly connected via last mile networks to one of the two urban communities. Many rural communities have fiber, but they are not accessible by local communities. As a result, they are still not connected, thus isolated.

Today, the federal government has changed the way it funds broadband deployment in America. Instead of exclusively allowing service providers to secure federal subsidies to deploy our nations broadband infrastructure, the Federal Government is now favoring companies who specialize in developing community-owned, privately operated, open access networks. To refine this new funding approach, the Federal Government, through the National Telecommunications and Information Agency and the US Rural Development Agency, are now ready to engage companies that have developed a replicable business model that enables unserved and underserved communities to gain access to a broadband connection that allows multiple service providers to compete to deliver their services. With competition, rates have been proven to reduce, thus making it more affordable for citizens to adopt broadband. With more adoption, the Federal Government can justify more investment in broadband, thus overhauling our nation’s telecommunications infrastructure.

To meet this requirement, A2D, in partnership with Trillion Communication Corp, submitted a comprehensive community infrastructure grant request to the NTIA in March of 2010. On August 19, 2010, Trillion was awarded the grant where A2D was designated as the sub-recipient and long-term network operator. One of the unique features of the grant was the inclusion of A2D’s eCommunity Platform and Initiative. eCommunity is term that defines a paradigm shift in the way broadband is deployed. At the root of eCommunity is a technical platform with the inherent ability to deliver the service signals of multiple middle mile and last mile service providers where the network is able to segregate both local and internet-based traffic. As a result, eCommunity is able to deliver both commercial-based services and community-based services which clearly delineate the unique ability of the platform from other designs.

As a turnkey business model, the infrastructure will be owned ultimately by the community by-way of a municipal broadband authority, but operated privately by A2D.The end result is a network that can be funded by both private and public resources. With a network that is owned by the community, yet is prevented from competing against commercial service providers, the eCommunity now enables our local community-support agencies to provide the content, resources and services to end-users who can’t afford to subscribe to commercial-based services.

Integrated into every eCommunity Broadband Infrastructure is A2D’s eCommunity Initiative. The initiative is simple; partner with local and regional non-profit’s and anchor institutions to develop digital resources that are made accessible to any end-user connected to the network, regardless of their socio-economic condition. As a broadband utility, it is our goal to ensure that everyone is connected and the network is continuously expanding. Although everyone will be connected, those who can’t afford a computer and/or who lack the basic computer skills still won’t have access. As a result, A2D has established eCommunity Broadband, Inc, a non-profit organization that is financially tied to every network A2D develops, that ensures that everyone, regardless of their socio-economic condition, has access to not only the community-based resources they need, but are paired with other non-profit agencies to receive the support they need to become productive digital citizens.

As a platform, the eCommunity Broadband Infrastructure (eCBI) enables both commercial and community providers to deliver their digital services to everyone connected. However, as a community initiative, eCommunity, through eCommunity Broadband Inc (eCBI), ensures that everyone connected to the eCBI Platform is able to leverage the resources that come across it to improve their quality of life when they are ready. A2D is now ready to make your community an eCommunity. Our first eCommunity project is within the state of Alabama. In such, we have named the initiative as eCommunityAlabama. However, our goal is to establish both local and regional eCommunities that allow end-users to associate themselves accordingly. For example, our first community to receive a last mile (home) network is the Town of Hayneville, Alabama. As a result, eCommunityHayneville will be the sub-initiative of the eCommunityAlabama project. For more information, please go to http://ecommunityalabama.org

In summary, eCommunity as a replicable model, is poised to help our nation eradicate the digital divide. A2D is ready to partner with your community to establish community owned broadband utilities across America and in other countries throughout the world. Our goal is to be an enabler of sustainable community growth where a higher quality of life can is achievable.