Broadband Should Be Like Water

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November 11th, 2008

The presidential elections are over, and now we all must wait until January to find out what the new administration will mean to broadband industry. Last Mile covers this question in our most recent newsletter. The most immediate impact that seems likely is a change at the FCC. The real question is what this new leadership--and presumably a new approach to policy--will mean to how broadband deployment is approached in the United States for the next four to eight years.

Everybody knows that the economy will be the No. 1 issue facing the new president. Companies are struggling--if not failing outright. Banks won't loan money. The housing market is in shambles. What was once on the up-and-up is now down, down, down.

We all need a boost.

Skirting the edge of the economic crisis is broadband. Who cares about broadband at time like this?

Well, you should. Everyone should.

For businesses to remain strong, they need strong communications.

The Boston Globe recently ran this article about broadband's affect on the housing market.

"High-speed Internet access is now a key utility to offer prospective buyers and tenants, says Henry Pye, director of technology and resident services for JPI Partners LLC, which owns buildings around the country. Pye told the AP they can’t rent units without broadband access anymore.

“'It might as well be water,' he said."

Broadband is that vital.

People need to stay connected to do their business in this global market. Broadband, as we know, has become the primary vehicle for communication. Without a strong broadband infrastructure, there really is little hope to survive.

Obama has posed the possibility of including broadband in the Universal Service Fund, which was formerly used to provide telephone services to rural communities. In addition, some have mentioned using the current or a new economic stimulus package for broadband deployment. (Source)

We have all heard the phrase "the fourth utility" in reference to broadband. However, how do we make that a reality in times of economic crisis? How important is broadband deployment to your business? Let us know in the comments.

Also, please read this old post and take a moment to take our survey.

1 Comments

Let us all hope that the Obama administration and the FCC will recognize that we have a multi-tiered problem when it comes to broadband infrastructure, and no clear national strategy to address that problem.

Consider ...

a) broadband has become a utility: broadband should be available throughout the US, in every place that electricity, wired telephony, cellular telephony, water and gas are.
b) broadband defined upward and forward: the broadband vision should be next generation, not last - we are talking fiber here, at 100 Mbs and up, not DSL or Cable at 1-5 Mbs.
c) broadband, both fixed and wireless: we should ultimately strive for fiber connectivity when we are stopped - at a fixed location - and the best technology has to offer when we are mobile, be it 4G, Wi Fi Mesh, WiMAX, or some other flavor.

In other words, when we use the idea of USF, we are still thinking in terms of geography ubiquity, but we are leaving out two other important considerations.

We need to demand more out of our national leadership than we have come to expect, we need to start dreaming again, we need to start thinking like a leader and not a follower.

November 17th, 2008 // By John Cooper

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