The Federal Communication Commission is on track to make Internet free all in the United States.  This month they plan to take final action on the plan.  It has been recognized that the Internet is now the single most important source for accessing information and creating competition.  Yes, that is right informed consumers are better able to obtain the best price and service.   While free would be beneficial for everyone we all must be realistic to what is define as free.  Free means there will be a limit to what is offered.

I recommend that the policy be written so that it evolves on its own.  For instance, the policy should read “  The speed for downloading and the amount of bandwidth for the free service shall be no less than 20% of the speed and bandwidth that individuals purchase as a paid service from a provider”.  This will allow the free service to automatically upgrade as technology changes increase the ability to offer higher speeds and bandwidth for paid services.

Too many times regulations are written as if no change is ever expected to happen. Since it takes so much time and money to make changes even when it makes sense, why not write regulations or law that can evolve base on the market place.

The regulations and laws should not create a trap for consumers where they must buy the Internet connection because it is barely functional under the free service. It is just another barrier,  even if it is barely visible it still hurts.

(pics by Kosmar.ipernity.com, mollali, and shootin’ the breeze)

 pic by ND or not ND

If children made government policies they would not be complicated, they would be simple and the rules would bendable for the circumstances at the time.

The Physician Shortage and the Child Clinical Mental Health Specialist Shortage can be better addressed by utilizing group sessions to expedite access to treatment.  The key is providing a level of care sooner than later.  The secondary benefits are that patients learn from other patients asking questions, share what is working for them, and become a network for identifying resources.

The lack of experts in any field should not result in policies that create waiting lists to seek care.  Federal compliance features especially in health care are inconsistent among the regions of the United States.  The latitude for allowed for accessing services in Rural areas has result in innovative ways to provide care.  However, in Urban areas a similar latitude is missing.

The rules for reimbursement is an all or nothing standard and it prevents access to care.  The real weight to decision making that should be used for giving latitude is whether any level of care should be allowed if it improves access or the outcomes to physical or mental health care.  Pricing should then be set accordingly.

One standard for all when it is know that there are the have’s and the have not’s for accessing care is unfair, especially when there are solutions to improving the level of access.

Allow Community Health Centers and nonprofits to offer services at a standard that can be meet within the pool of available workers in the geographic area.  The Federal government has already designated by census zone those areas that lack sufficient resources, therefore I would advocate such should trigger automatic latitudes for creating access to care and levels of care.

Many colleges and universities run well defined art, music or theater programs.  Many public schools lack access to such resources.  It is a low cost outreach effort for the college/university programs to form affiliations with their local school districts to bring their resources to students and promote their brand.

Public Schools on the other hand should not wait for being approached.

Federal and state governments should tie public funding to institutions of higher education with requirements to give back to the public school system of the local communities they serve.

(pics 1st by gtmcknight and 2 by Tape Art Education and Works in Progress)