This is a must if IT is to have a broad and useful role in government and governance and if we are serious about transitioning to e-government. We need a universal service policy much as was the case when polices and programs promoted the placing of a telephone in every home. There also needs to be a way to put the hardware and software in the homes and offices etc. that will enable access.

The "how" is less important than the will to get it done! Where there is will... In cyberspace, there is still room for market growth (even with reduced advertising, which would be pleasant). This is also key to job growth through telecommuting, innovation through digital research, & to distance education, which has become integral to learning at all levels.

I live in a rural area without broadband, and it's a major limitation. Yes, I pay for satellite, but it's a poor imitation of broadband.

I would like to add that while getting broadband available everywhere is needed, we really need to make fiber-optic data connection available to every home, not just broadband. Fiber is much more secure and provides the bandwidth we need for the future.

Key to our global competitiveness.

JohnStanton - I'd love a link to the NC initiatives you've mentioned. I think the role of the federal gov't doesn't necessarily have to be infrastructure and money - it could help act as an incubator or knowledge clearinghouse for other communities to choose from a menu of solutions developed by other places that might be applied or modified to fit their own community.

JohnStanton - Many issues need to be worked out locally. But others need global solutions. For me access to adequate communications technology is in the global category. Similar to national defense and managing the airwaves spectrum. This is the type of problem the federal government should address. As opposed to things like polygamy, gay marriage and abortion-that they want to fix for us.

How about local communities take their own, grass roots efforts to get their own broadband instead of a federal mandate and dollars? See the NC/SC tobacco county that organized themselves around moving towards an IT industry. They took the initiative, got broadband, installed community networks, funded local laptops for schools, etc. They didn't need to feds to do it all for them. They made it!!!

Maybe decreasing taxes would help.

stingham/jkoteen: I bet if we ended the protectionism, more people would be able to afford broadband and the average speed would inch up.

Where is the "right" to broadband. And how would it help you?

ScooperJay - For me "Ensure the Internet is widely accessible & network neutral" is not strong enough. Broadband access must be available in every areas. I've lived here long before the Webs creation. I'm left behind by chance and by the absence of a government mandate that Verizon offer broadband to ALL it's customers. Just like the mandate VZ provide phone service to all people in their area.

High powered wireless meshes

Allow researchers to create wireless mesh routers that use higher powered radios than currently possible. Then allow anyone who wants to make their own ISP to buy these boxes along with cheep bandwidth.

Supporting every communities effort and choice to bring broadband access is sound policy. Preserving network neutrality is vital. Use our tax dollars to implement access.

I think we also need to get our internet up to speed with the rest of the world, we invented the internet and yet we have one of the slowest averages for internet speeds in the world

Someone in a different idea suggested that we should be using the formerly analog TV spectrum for this, and I agree.

How is this different than the "Ensure the Internet is widely accessible & network neutral" recommendation?

End protectionist legislation from telecoms that prohibit competition in providing wireless access.