Sidebar: The Digital Road to Recovery

Available online at: www.itif.org/

Most important facets: This plan includes grants and tax credits, but the tax credits are conditional upon providing connectivity to unserved areas or increasing network speeds in areas that already have service. It doesn't favor one kind of broadband provider over another.

Cost: $30 billion, but "the actual amount of stimulus needed may be more or less than $30
billion."

Problems addressed: "The goal of our plan is to get as much broadband investment in 2009 and early 2010 as possible."

How will this plan help municipalities and local communities? The plan places a premium on deploying networks in unconnected communities and increasing connection speeds in communities that already have service.