Toward a more wired union

[Commentary] Silicon Valley should be pleased with the Federal Communications Commission's new national broadband plan. Though it isn't perfect, the plan is far better than anything that came out under former President George W. Bush's FCC - and it recognizes that broadband is becoming as crucial to the American economy as electricity and telephones.

Unfortunately, there are many things in the plan that require congressional approval. While common sense suggests that Congress should jump at the chance to keep America competitive and expand access to the most important invention of the last century, there are certain entrenched interests - namely the telephone and cable companies - who have a vested interest in preventing competition, even if it means that the whole country has slower and less reliable service than our global competitors. Coincidentally, these companies also employ lots of lobbyists. To protect its own growth, Silicon Valley needs to do some lobbying of its own.