Let There Be Wi-Fi

Broadband is the electricity of the 21st century — and much of America is being left in the dark.

Two decades ago, the chattering classes fretted about economic upheaval rising from Japan and the Asian Tigers. They feared an invasion of cars, microchips, and Karaoke that would take away American jobs, take over U.S.-dominated industries, and shift cultural norms. In the 1990s, America responded with a boom in high technology and Hollywood exports. But a revolution is again brewing in places like Japan and South Korea. This time it’s about "broadband" — a technology that, in terms of powering economies, could be the 21st century equivalent of electricity.

But rather than relive the jingoism of the 1980s, American policy makers would be wise to take a cue from the Asian innovators and implement new policies to close the digital divide at home and with the rest of the world.

By Robert McChesney and John Podesta, The Washington Monthly

Full Story: http://www.govtech.net/digitalcommunities/story.php?id=97829

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Regional Consortia Provide Municipal Wi-Fi Alternative

By Blake Harris

Timothy King: A national public/private partnership has to be structured to circumvent political challenges.

For communities seeking to launch public access community Wi-Fi, the issues are not just technological. As seen in the many proposals submitted for public Wi-Fi in high profile cities such as San Francisco and Philadelphia, there are many different adoption models possible. This is particularly true for public private partnerships where many proposed approaches remain largely untried as business models.

Full Story: http://www.govtech.net/digitalcommunities/story.php?id=97882