Big Broadband: The Future Isn’t Wireless 2

Here are some exerpts from the EDUCAUSE report I cited yesterday:

Building big broadband networks is not just a matter of international competition; it is also economically efficient. Because of the limited dollars available, it is more economically efficient to invest these resources into networks with unlimited potential (such as fiber-optic cable) than to invest in the deployment of a multitude of interim technologies whose bandwidth could be overwhelmed by Internet traffic in a few years. American policy should thus focus on future-proof networks—networks employing technologies that are scalable and adaptable to future growth in demand. Several existing technologies are limited by physics and geography and will be obsolete in three to five years. Our resources will be better spent on technologies that have a long shelf life.

Some states are admirably developing programs to fill the gaps in small broadband deployment and availability. Certain municipalities are building fiber networks on a case-by-case basis, but many more municipalities have been bogged down on wireless networks that will not satisfy consumers’ hunger for much greater capacity.

and further down…

Big Broadband: U.S. broadband policy should focus on the future. Cable modem, DSL, and wireless technologies are unlikely to meet our future needs. The United States needs to set its sights toward the 100 Mbps speeds that are commonplace in Japan and increasingly the focus of European countries.