Several months ago, the FCC announced that it was formulating a national broadband policy. The U.S. was the last industrialized nation to do so, showing itself as a surprising laggard for our technically innovative country. Personally, I was encouraged that we had finally taken this step.
This week Wall Street Journalist Walter Mossberg on the blog The Hill commented that, while he was glad we were moving forward with a broadband policy, he felt it was too vague and too focused on rural areas.
Here's the money quote:
"There are plans and services that are sold in this country as broadband which wouldn't even be allowed to be labeled broadband in a lot of other countries they're so slow," Mossberg said. "And yet, at the very same time we pay more per unit of broadband speed than anyone else. So there's something wrong in my opinion."
We're behind in broadband. We're falling behind in mobile web (read Jeff Jarvis' great rant at AT&T and mobile). With every business more and more dependent on connectivity, you'd think that we'd see a more concerted effort to build a better infrastructure. With so many social media influencers gaining power, you'd think we'd see some type of movement to make better broadband in the U.S. into a reality.
But I'm not seeing any of that. Businesses are having a tough time and are turning more anti-government. Social media influencers are dizzy with the smell of Old Spice.
I'm not sure this is the most important issue of the day but it's a critical one for our country's economic development and innovation. As we're approaching election season, how many of the politicians running for office and asking for your votes have spoken about the national broadband policy even once?
I think it's time for us "influencers" to mobilize about something that's critical for our businesses and our clients' businesses.
Who's in?