Time for a real Internet highway

[Commentary] The recent Level 3 Communications/Cogent Communications tiff/Internet disruption raises some questions: Who owns the Internet? Is competition the best or only way to determine that ownership? Sure, the Internet is a great way to deliver content. But the Internet is not simply a new medium. It's also a marketplace. A global system for private communication. An art gallery without walls, an archive without shelves, the planet's largest collection of sound and music. The Internet is a utility, without which our daily lives cannot be productive or interesting. Governments, companies and institutions now need it to function. So do you and I. We now need broadband to live, work, recreate and even make a profit. Many local areas of America are attacking the need for broadband ubiquity, but perhaps it's time for a national program. Fiber, cable or wireless -- many areas of America are not going to run a profit for any broadband service provider. It's time for the National System of Interstate and Homeland Defense Broadband. Private companies will make billions building the system, as with the interstate highways. Once it's done, we'll all profit.
[SOURCE: C-Net|News.com, AUTHOR: Harry Fuller]
http://news.com.com/Time+for+a+real+Internet+highway/2010-1028_3-5894664...