STATEMENT OF COMMISSIONER MICHAEL J. COPPS Re: Inquiry Concerning the Deployment of Advanced Telecommunications Capability to All Americans in a Reasonable and Timely Fashion, and Possible Steps to Accelerate Such Deployment Pursuant to Section 706 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, as Amended by the Broadband Data Improvement Act, GN Docket No. 09-137; A National Broadband Plan for Our Future, GN Docket No. 09-51. I am thrilled to see a Notice of Inquiry for the 706 Report that has real meaning—that is thoughtful, forward-looking, and a complement to the process this Commission has underway to develop a national broadband plan. During every 706 Report process since I have been at the Commission, I have stressed that we needed to recognize this problem, diagnose it, and then come up with a solution to reverse our nation’s slide into technological and communications mediocrity. On many occasions, I talked about how the country lacked a national strategy; how we lacked even the essential data on which to build a viable strategy; and how we were paying a terrible price because of a cavalier approach to an urgent national problem. Happily, times have changed and we now have the commitment and the leadership to tackle these issues. The Commission kicked off its massive broadband effort with the National Broadband Plan Notice of Inquiry, and with this Section 706 Notice we will start a new annual tradition—a true review of the state of broadband deployment in America.