Sidebar: Building a 21st Century Broadband Superhighway

Available online at: www.newamerica.net/

Most important facets: This plan focuses on repairing one public good (roads) while creating another (national broadband); creating a Digital Excellence Fund to finance ongoing network build-out and maintenance and creating programs to increase digital literacy.

Cost: $1.2 billion to $3.6 billion

Problems addressed: Decisions made in Washington, D.C., over the past several years - including the "Brand X" Supreme Court ruling and the scheduled removal of several AT&T/SBC merger conditions - have resulted in more difficulty for rural broadband access. The lack of fiber middle-mile infrastructure has impaired deployment of competitive broadband networks. This remains one of the most immediate and cost-effective last-mile solutions for communities that have minimal access to broadband and must rely primarily upon dial-up Internet connections. The Department of Transportation is also interested in employing wireless communications to create an intelligent transportation system, which would better manage traffic flow and improve general transportation safety. It would need a national (roadside) fiber infrastructure to operate.

How will this plan help municipalities and local communities? This plan encourages competition by lowering prices and increasing connection speeds, and would also make the deployment and operation of municipal and community networks much easier. The plan to bury fiber under existing roads could greatly increase access to middle-mile broadband connectivity, which continues to burden smaller, independent Internet service providers. Communities that are already connected would have multiple service provider options, not to mention several pathways - these choices would lead to more reliable networks in general.