Life, liberty, and the pursuit of broadband

The National Broadband Plan, proposed by the Federal Communications Commission, states “Infrastructure networks unite us as a country, bringing together parents and children, buyers and sellers, and citizens and government in ways once unimaginable… [and] broadband is the great infrastructure challenge of the early 20th century.”

Like the implementation of large-scale electrical lines and the construction of the massive interstate highway system, broadband internet is the next step in the evolution of American infrastructure. If the effects of previous innovations such as railroads and telephone lines are any measure, this next step promises to revolutionize nearly every aspect of our lives.

We’ve witnessed the growth of broadband Internet over the past decade and have seen the explosion of economic and social growth on the Internet. Remember dial-up on services like AOL? Part of me misses the sound of a robotic chorus whenever you logged on, but the rest of me hated waiting more than a minute for a page to load. Websites such as YouTube and Facebook would never have existed with dial-up (think about it, no viral videos or Facebook statuses). High speed and constant internet connections are now a part of your daily routine. Some may think that we have finished the broadband transition, but when you think about it, we are just beginning.

So, where do we go from here?

Like the infrastructure examples of the electric grid and the highway system, it takes time for the corporations and government agencies involved to deploy this technological advancement. If you are interested about the current trajectory of the national policy, I strongly suggest reading the text of the National Broadband Plan at www.broadband.gov (it’s a heavy read at 376 pages). Basically, the plan looks at how to increase the presence of broadband technology and how to increase the adoption of this technology for economic and civic endeavors.

Currently, the FCC estimates that 100 million Americans do not have broadband, and about 24 million of those do not even have Internet access. In an age where the Internet has become the place of vast knowledge and a platform for speech and ideas, we need all Americans to have access and understand how to access broadband Internet. From an economic perspective, one of the only ways that Americans will remain competitive is if we have the infrastructure and knowledge to remain competitive.

If we do not have robust broadband access and systems, we will fall far behind our global competitors.

I realize one of the challenges to this plan is the sheer size of the United States.

Countries such as Japan are able to create an incredible high speed network relatively easily because of its small geographical size. Although many issues face the United States today, we cannot let this opportunity pass us by. It is going to require innovation from the free market and the government in order to quickly implement all of these changes.

Think to yourself how much the Internet has played an increasingly important role in the last decade. Now, imagine how much more important it will be to our education, jobs and well-being by the end of the next decade. Supporting greater broadband penetration in the United States means a more competitive, better educated and wealthier America.