Broadband Fans, We Have an Innovation Problem

[Commentary] Wired broadband is in trouble. And it's the fault of Internet service providers and Silicon Valley.

Despite a rollout of faster technology from some cable providers, and Verizon's continued fiber-to-the-home buildout, the wired broadband world isn't looking terribly exciting outside Google's testbed project. A close inspection of the long-range Federal Communications Commission's National broadband Plan doesn't have me overly inspired, especially as other areas of the world invest in 1 Gbps networks today.

Meanwhile, in the same two-week period as recent wired broadband news, the mobile industry's largest trade show, Mobile World Congress, took place. It was chock-full of the usual mobile players as well as a who's who of anyone in the tech scene. And issues associated with mobile broadband, from new networks to spectrum shortages and how to build applications for mobile handsets, were all anyone could talk about. Wired was tired, and mobile was basking in the glow of the spotlight and investment.