A couple broadband stories are in the news this week:

Google Fiber to the Home Status

Verizon Limits DSL Choices

Leichtman Research Group (LRG ) conducted a national survey on the adoption of Internet connected TV's and discovered an increase in the number of North American homes with TV's connected to the Internet.

Report: Internet Connected TV's on the Rise

Although there is some good news for Netflix, the report examines some trends about device manufacturers, and the emergence of new competitors in the Internet TV market.  Neflix could use some good news, after a series of public relations missteps which alienated many customers.

Netflix Controversy a Sign of the Future; Is Netflix Getting Too Greedy?

Perhaps Verizon should paid more attention to the importance of customer relations, when they recently announced an end to "naked DSL," which is a unique way of referring to their new policy of not offering DSL service alone.  Customers changing existing service, or new customers ordering DSL, must now also subscribe to Verizon's voice service as well. You may recall a Verizon data cap policy implemented last year which was not considered a customer friendly move either.

When  it comes to high speed Internet access, fiber optic connections have been the gold standard all other types of broadband are measured by.

Different Types of Broadband Technology

A recently published report from a non-profit association dedicated to increasing access to fiber broadband and measuring the growth of fiber connected homes in North America, contained some interesting news about fiber broadband penetration.  However, even more compelling is what the report didn't say directly, but makes the point with the penetration numbers.

Read the Fiber-to-the-Home Council Q1-2012 Report on FTTH Deployment in North America

Some of the highlights mentioned in the report:

• 22.6 Million homes are passed by fiber
• 19.3 Million homes are marketed for service
• 8 Million homes connected

If you analyze the numbers reported above, you can deduce what the broadband adoption rate for fiber broadband really is.   The important numbers to use for determining adoption are the 19.3 million customer based, compared to the 8 million homes which are connected.  This makes the adoption rate for the 19.3 million fiber customers in North America 41.5% - much lower than several recent national and state adoption survey reports.

1 Gigabit Google Fiber Network Making Significant Progress in Kansas City

The United Nations Broadband Commission for Digital Development was formed in May 2010 as a result of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon's  call to increase efforts to meet the Millennium Development Goals.  Since its original formation, the Broadband Commission has published a series of reports, including a recent "Call to Action" encouraging the global community to meet five broad goals related to broadband access.

Read About the UN's Broadband Call to Action

In addition to raising global awareness about broadband, another extensive report published by the UN's Broadband Commission links the societal and economic benefits of broadband with the environmental impact broadband can have on climate change and greenhouse gas emissions.

You may remember another UN body releasing a report declaring Internet access a "basic human right." This report was from Human Rights Council of the United Nations General Assembly.  This report declared access to the Internet a basic human right which enables individuals to "exercise their right to freedom of opinion and expression."

United Nations Establishes Global Broadband Targets to be Achieved by 2015

One of the goals of the Broadband Commission is to demonstrate that broadband is as important as physical infrastructure such as roads, water, and electricity.

Broadband is Transforming Our Way of Life

As the United Nations continues advancing a global broadband strategy with comprehensive recommendations for world leaders to consider, broadband access and adoption will continue to increase.  The pace at which availability and adoption increase will also drive innovation and speed requirements.  This creates a challenging environment for the FCC and policy makers in the United States to live with, as spectrum becomes a scarce commodity, and adoption rates  remain largely unchanged.

United Nations Report Makes Key Infrastructure Recommendations; Identifies Global Policy Issues