AT&T Inc., Alcatel-Lucent and Verizon have joined a consortium of corporations, public-interest groups, unions and trade organizations to push for ubiqituous broadband access in the United States.

 

Based in Washington, D.C., the U.S. Broadband Coalition aims to provide a roadmap for making sure that high-speed Internet access is available to everyone in the country.

 

However, details on just how to accomplish that lofty goal remain to be worked out. And many members of the coalition have been at odds over other issues, such as whether operators of broadband networks should refrain from blocking any traffic over their networks, and issue known as “net neutrality.”

 

AT&T, for instance, was recently sued by another member of the coalition, the Communications Workers of America, which claims in court documents that the Dallas phone, video and online services company has used corporate reorganizations to shirk its responsibilities under various collective-bargaining agreements.

 

AT&T has denied wrongdoing.

 

Members of the group acknowledge that they see things differently on some issues, but believe that they can come to a common understanding on some matters.

 

“Everybody understands (the national broadband strategy) is the most important thing everybody can get together to talk about,” says Claudia Jones, a spokeswoman for AT&T. “There has always been discussion about the other issues. We’re very optimistic that as we work together ... that hopefully other things will fall into place. We won’t agree on everything, but we have much more in common than we do not have in common as far as our commitment to the technology agenda.”

 

Jim Baller, a Washington, D.C. lawyer who was the driving force behind the coalition, says a number of committees, or “issue groups,” will form to discuss the mechanics of the national broadband strategy. Those groups will come up with things like goals for the coalition to pursue and how to implement them, Baller says.

 

The coalition, which was launched at a Dec. 2 event in Washington, will have another meeting sometime in the spring to report on what progress it has made, Baller says.

 

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