Every American should have broadband Internet access

In November 2006, the United Nations proclaimed that for someone striving for success in the 21st century, broadband Internet access is as crucial as access to water or electricity. The Internet educates and engages individuals; it allows governments to be more accessible to those they serve; and it helps businesses find new customers and be more productive. In our increasingly wired world, any family or business without broadband access is at a distinct disadvantage. Furthermore, extending broadband access to every American would deliver a significant boost to the U.S. economy. According to the Brookings Institution, for every one percentage point increase in broadband penetration, employment expands by almost 300,000 jobs. The Internet has become a powerful economic engine, and the U.S. must maximize its potential if it is to remain competitive in the global economy.

Achieving universal broadband requires concerted, comprehensive action by the public and private sectors

The private sector has made great progress in creating and deploying broadband networks, and competitive markets should continue to lead. But government must do more to bring the benefits of broadband to every region of the country, and to every socio-economic group. Policymakers should promote digital literacy and encourage more rapid broadband deployment in rural areas. They should spur the development of innovative applications in health care and education and avoid levying taxes that will discourage broadband adoption or chill investment in broadband networks. The federal government should adopt a National Broadband Strategy that focuses on the “supply side” (promoting broadband deployment and access) and the “demand side” (encouraging broadband adoption and addressing gaps in understanding).

Public policy should aim to unleash competition, expand digital literacy and inclusion and promote investment sufficient to handle the exaflood - the exponential explosion of digital content

The amount of information we upload, download and share is growing at an exponential rate – the so-called “exaflood.” The exaflood is exciting, but it also presents new challenges. The capacity of the Internet, its “bandwidth,” is limited. If we don’t upgrade our networks, Americans will be denied new products and services that require higher data speeds. In short, today’s broadband is tomorrow’s traffic jam unless we continuously invest, innovate and improve our networks’ ability to handle the traffic. The good news is that our nation has all of the technological capability and necessary capital resources. With wise public policy, America can meet this challenge.