We need a national broadband policy

[Commentary] If there is a sleeper issue on which any enterprising candidate could capitalize, it is the issue of bringing the Internet's broadband revolution to more and more Americans at affordable prices. Why broadband? Simply put, there is no other business in America that can have such a dramatic effect on our lives, our economy and our security. In the crudest of terms, the "broadband industry" — from wire-line broadband providers to dot-com boomlets and all of the equipment, devices and software programs in between — is giant, representing more than one-fifth of the gross domestic product, with a combined market cap well into the trillions. The importance of information technology to virtually every facet of American life has been evident for some time, yet our leadership has done little to promote it. Presidential candidates could make good policy and good politics by speaking up for a national broadband policy that brings meaningful competition to the nation's broadband marketplace.
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