10 facts you should know about broadband
After some early attention paid to broadband issues, neither President Bush nor Democratic challenger John Kerry has addressed the subject in any substantial way on the stump.
Perhaps that's because their positions are closer than they had anticipated.
Both candidates say they support universal access to broadband networks, and both see high-speed services as an important part of the economy's future. Both have said they want to expand the use of wireless spectrum for broadband purposes. Bush has focused more on keeping broadband tax-free as a way to reach universal coverage, while Kerry has proposed tax credits for companies that invest in next-generation or rural broadband services.
Under Bush's administration, the Federal Communications Commission has taken a deregulatory path. Recent rulings have reinforced the move to eliminate big phone companies' requirement to share their networks with rival Internet service providers, and the telcos have responded by speeding their investment in fiber-optic technology.
Below are 10 key facts you should know about the issue. (Click on each to find out more.)
- 1 Broadband technology could add $500 billion a year to the U.S. economy, by some estimates.
Click here - 6 Online games have driven broadband development in South Korea.
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- 2 Some cities have created wireless broadband networks for police and other safety agencies.
Click here - 7 The Seoul government spent $24 billion to build a national high-speed backbone network.
Click here - 3 Patients who use broadband communication report "dramatic" improvements in health care.
Click here - 8 Satellite TV is a case study for alternative providers trying to break into the broadband market.
Click here - 4 The government provides $2 billion in low-interest loans for broadband access in rural areas.
Click here - 9 Some U.S. homes may have a half dozen options for broadband service in a few years.
Click here - 5 A new Supreme Court ruling has been used to block broadband projects by local governments.
Click here - 10 WiMax and other next-generation wireless broadband systems are beginning to emerge.
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- Broadband special report
- Policy points to break the logjam
- News.blog
- Our reporters go behind the scenes
