If you are over a certain age, you may regard the Internet as a technological marvel you don’t fully comprehend. If you are under a certain age, the Internet has always existed and you may take it for granted. But no matter which side of this divide you are on, there is a very good chance that the Internet plays a significant role in your daily life. And, you almost certainly agree that maintaining a robust, expanding Internet that delivers more and better services to more people should be one of our national priorities.
Indeed, the goal of universal broadband in America unites community activists, elected officials, business executives, labor leaders and average citizens. Belief in universal broadband is bipartisan, persistent and urgent.
The urgency is warranted. Broadband – high speed Internet access – is the transformative technology of our generation. Access to and effective usage of broadband connections enhances individuals’, industries’ and nation’s ability to grow, compete, and succeed. Broadband helps businesses become more productive, governments become more accessible, students become better prepared and citizens become more engaged. It is an opportunity platform that is transforming how we work, live, play and learn.
Even as we seek to spread Broadband, we face a companion reality – an exaflood of digital data as the Internet evolves from a text-based medium of e-mail and information searches to a video medium that promises great benefits, but also is creating enormous bandwidth demands barely imagined just a few years ago.