The U.S. Needs A Federal-Aid Highway Act For Affordable Broadband -- Now - Forbes

The U.S. Needs A Federal-Aid Highway Act For Affordable Broadband -- Now - Forbes

Digital media veteran Gary Myer urges a massive Internet stimulus program that goes far beyond the $4.5 billion allocated for Internet infrastructure in the American Investment and Recovery Act of 2009.  (Most of that money went toward middle mile infrastructure that typically left residences and small businesses off the net).

Myer as well as some of the commentators on his Forbes piece point out getting fiber to every U.S. doorstep not only would create a lot of jobs since a large majority of the cost is labor.  It would also make the U.S. network more valuable since more would be connected to it, replacing the current dysfunctional, hodge podge of disparate legacy cable television and telephone company networks whose high cost business models fail outside of densely populated areas.

Myer also puts to rest the fanciful, wishful thinking that cell phone networks obviate the need for premises Internet connections.  Those networks are designed for lower bandwidth mobile voice and data and lack the capacity and reliability to serve as primary premises connections. Those bandwidth caps on mobile service exist for a reason.