Who’s Widening America’s Digital Divide?

Sunday night Susan Crawford was on the Bill Moyers show. She makes the point that broadband should b e a utility. She says this is a crisis because we are falling far behind international standards. Americans won’t be part of the new economy emerging through broadband because generally America’s speed does not compare with global leaders. We are losing our edge. And within the US may people are being left behind – because in rural areas broadband is not available and in all areas it is often not affordable. You can get a taste of the interview here:






She does a good job of making a complicated issue accessible to folks who may not have a background with the technology. One of the most important points I think (and have stated before) is that wireless relies on fiber infrastructure. Right now I think it’s easy for folks to think that wireless is an easy and cheap solution – but it is not a solution that is separate from wired access. It is built on fiber. Wireless will only address the last mile access.

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