Gig.U and the next innovation platform

[Commentary] The United States has historically been the leader in the development and use of information networks and the technologies that give them life. The Internet is an American invention, and in the early part of the last decade, we were the leader in developing and adopting wireline broadband -- a leadership position we have since ceded to other countries. While the world is in the midst of the mobile revolution, there is another round of innovation to come in wired networks and this time, the advantage might not be ours. Other countries, such as Korea, Japan and Sweden, have already deployed networks capable of speeds 200 times faster than the speed the average American uses. If that gap persists, other countries will be the ones developing the expertise that leads to the Gigabit Google, Cisco or Amazon.

Gig.U was born and now 37 university communities are in conversation with more than 50 companies, including Google and the major telecommunications and cable companies, about how to improve the business case for next generation deployments in their areas. We should hope for their success. If we can eliminate bandwidth as a barrier to innovation for a good number of students, faculty, and the businesses that congregate in university communities, there is no telling how they will, again, reinvent how we live and work, both in the United States and around the world. It won't happen overnight, but like the foundation laid for 4G a decade before it became commercially available, it will provide new opportunities for the next generation. Gig.U is the next platform by which the United States can take advantage of Carlson's Law. We don't know what a million folks around college communities playing with unlimited bandwidth will develop, but if history is a guide, it will be chaotic, smart, and provide the next generation of innovation that America and the world need.