The harsh reality of surburban broadband

I recently pointed out the U.S. digital dividing line doesn't necessarily run between urban and rural areas as it's often less than accurately described in the media and by public policymakers. Rather than a hard "digital divide," the nation instead suffers from a shamefully incomplete last mile telecommunications infrastructure with more broadband service holes than a Swiss cheese. Anyone is vulnerable to winding up in a void -- even folks living in densely populated suburbs.

Here's a piece in ZD Net by Jason Perlow titled The harsh reality of suburban broadband that aptly illustrates the point. Perlow is fortunate that he at least even has broadband access via his cable provider. There are some suburban residents and people living in metro areas who aren't able to obtain any wireline broadband service at all short of ordering up a costly T-1 circuit from their telco.