The Ad Council is making broadband literacy and adoption a
priority PSA campaign, according to the FCC.
The government-industry partnership Connect2Compete will
team with the Ad Council on the campaign, which will launch in January with a
multilingual, multimedia and multiyear effort to close the broadband adoption
gap.
At the National Cable & Telecommunications Association
Cable Show in Boston, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski pointed out that a third
of the country still does not subscribe to broadband at home, and that that was
not acceptable.
The Ad Council puts together donated creative with donated
ad time and space to promote various public service initiatives, from
preventing drunk driving and forest fires to promoting literacy.
The three-year campaign will be in both English and Spanish.
Broadband adoption rates are lower for Spanish-speakers than the general
population.
"Neither the public sector, private sector, nor the nonprofit sector alone can tackle the broadband adoption gap and unleash the benefits of high-speed Internet for the 66 million Americans who don't have the basic digital literacy skills to find a job online or access educational content," Chairman Genachowski said in a statement. "That's just not acceptable in this day and age, where connectivity is essential." Genachowski said. "Partnerships across sectors are an important part of the solution. This campaign will help connect millions more Americans to broadband, and empower them to reap the benefits of the 21st century digital economy."
