Why ConnectKentucky makes a bad model for U.S. broadband

WHY CONNECTKENTUCKY MAKES A BAD MODEL FOR US BROADBAND
[SOURCE: MuniWireless, AUTHOR: Carol Ellison]
[Commentary] The United States risks falling deeper into the world-wide digital divide if states model their future after a Kentucky initiative that embraces DSL as the broadband standard. ConnectKentucky is largely focused on expanding service through private providers heavily invested in DSL. It has succeeded in getting a majority of residents in that rural state connected. But, when it comes to national policy, consideration should not stop at just building out current service. Contrast ConnectKentucky to the goals in Minnesota where communities are eying fiber build-outs as the solution. Communities that enjoy a wealth of broadband choices have enjoyed a plethora of broadband options from private providers for some time. The concern is not getting broadband but getting fast reliable service that can support the bandwidth-hungry applications customers want delivered. As areas around the nation achieve universal connectivity and begin looking to what more they want and expect of broadband, the question will increasingly turn from access to speed, reliability, and whatever it takes to run the applications communities deem necessary to their future and well-being.
http://www.muniwireless.com/article/articleview/6359/1/3