Here’s a terrific article [1] by Tim Karr of Free Press. Why not exert some intelligent political will and make certain that blistering high-speed broadband is available to anyone who wants it at a reasonable price? Karr’s article comes with some disturbing statistics:
Access to broadband today is held in the grip of the cable and phone cartel. This duopoly controls access for more than 98 percent of online American homes. And it’s the main reason why American pay far more for much slower speeds than what’s available in the rest of the developed world.
It has put us at a tremendous disadvantage – one that has been widely documented [2]. But what’s alarming is new information about the demographics of access – the so-called “digital divide.” According to new analysis [3] by Free Press (my employer), only 35 percent of U.S. homes with less than $50,000 in annual income have a high-speed Internet connection.
Not having access to broadband means that one is left out of the national conversation. And with Web 2.0, it has become a two-way conversation for those of all of us who really care. As Amy Goodman often says, that conversation should involved everyone in the community–she imagines it as a big kitchen table, where everyone has a fair opportunity to have a seat and have a say. That’s not how things are turning out, and there’s no reason for not doing better, at least for those of us who believe that actually doing something, rather than waiting for the “free market” [4] to take care of everything important. Consider Lawrence Lessig’s comment on the free market:
“What’s bizarre about where we are in the history of building infrastructure is that this is the first time we have tried to undertake the building of fundamental social infrastructure against the background of a Neanderthal philosophy, which is that you don’t need government to do anything.
“That Neanderthal philosophy has governed for about the last eight years, and it has allowed us to slide from a leader in this field to an abysmal position. And it’s about time when people recognize that of course the private sector has a role, a central role, maybe the most important role, but it’s never enough.
Karr makes it clear that making reasonably priced broadband available will make the U.S. stronger, smarter and more efficient. With every passing month, it is also becoming more of a moral issue.
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