The Media Reform and High-Speed Internet for Everyone panel, moderated by Josh Silver of Free Press, talked about the not-so-sexy topic of increasing access to broadband technology. A sparsely attended panel is one of the lower profile movements that has large impacts on the things a lot of people take for granted -- access to affordable broadband Internet, assurance that some websites won't be charged more than others by Internet providers (an issue known as net neutrality), and lobbying the Federal Communications Commission to stop so-called deregulation from killing popular Internet radio stations like Pandora from getting killed.

Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein (D-SD) talked about how increasing access to the internet has broader impact than initially thought. Such access can decrease costs to health care, through something called telemedicine. This can increased doctor-patient care and vastly lower costs.

Debbie Goldman, from Communications Workers of America, said if you use the FCC's definition of broadband, about 200 kbps, fewer than half of Americans are connected. Goldman talked about a survey in which if only a small bit of information about the benefits of broadband that include health care and public safety, more than 60 percent of respondents supported full broadband access. Not to mention that the rural/urban divide is abysmal. While about 63 percent of suburban registered voters have regular high-speed Internet access, only about 32 percent of rural voters do.

It's a hugely popular issue, once people are aware of it, but this isn't an issue that many people think a lot about. Some of the things that may piss you off about media the most -- the dumbing down of the media and the disappearance of your favorite indy media -- all have a lot to do with regulation in the FCC. It's a federal commission that has a lot of control, and is supposed to be accountable to the public, but as long as the president gets to appoint commissioners, the balance is tipped in favor of big media.

Update: Free Press is hosting a conference on media reform in Minneapolis on June 5-6.