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We in the UK are getting very much the same argument as you in the US are: high speed broadband is terribly important and thus there should be subsidies, mandates, perhaps a large government led and paid for program to make sure that it's available everywhere. However, the truth seems to be that high speed broadband doesn't actually matter very much.

As has been the case since 2006, cable companies have the most subscribers, with 45.3 million broadband subs now, while the top telcos have 34.6 million subscribers. This dynamic isn't likely to shift anytime soon given the improvements that cable providers have made in terms of delivering faster speeds to customers as they upgrade to DOCSIS 3.0 networks. Meanwhile, telcos are stuck offering DSL or fiber-to-the-node products that top out at speeds that are far below cable's. The primary exception to this is Verizon's FiOS fiber-to-the-home product - on Wednesday Verizon  said it would offer a 300 Mbps tier.

"The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is working to connect rural households to broadband through the Connect America Fund. The Fund provides capital to private sector companies in order to help shoulder the cost of building out broadband networks to those homes. However, two of the largest service providers have opted out of the the free money saying that they would prefer to focus their attention elsewhere. One provider, Frontier Communications is stepping up to the plate citing significant business value in bringing these households online, a view which raises more questions about whether AT&T, Verizon, and Comcast are creating artificial network scarcity in order to provide a better picture for shareholders at the expense of American competitiveness."

The Republican platform on telecommunications and its criticism of the Obama Administration's handling of broadband inspired a blogger at the Washington Post to ponder the question, "Whatever happened to Obama's goal of universal broadband access?

Another rural wireless broadband operator is calling it quits after finding demand insufficient to pay the bills. Rocky Mountain Broadband is shutting the doors on its WiMAX operation in the tony resort town of Aspen, Colo., at the end of this month, said a company executive.

Over the past ten years, broadband growth has remained constant in an otherwise unstable market. Broadband has become a necessity for many - with a number of governments and international bodies pronouncing it a 'human right'.

The future of the UK Broadband landscape had its last major change in 2009 when the Digital Britain report was published, and the current BDUK projects are the visible legacy from that report. A House of Lords Select Committee was created in early 2012 to report on the progress of Superfast service roll-outs in the United Kingdom, and a large batch of evidence was released in April 2012. Now the final report entitled Broadband for all - an alternative vision has been published, and we have gone through the report to see what changes are proposed.

Millions of pounds in public funds are being spent building a UK broadband network that will not be fast enough to deal with the internet needs of the future and may have to be replaced, the House of Lords has warned. The government's internet strategy and the way it is awarding £530m of public funds to extend connections to rural communities have been criticised as flawed and liable to widen the digital divide by the Lords communication committee, which on Tuesday published the findings of its six-month inquiry into the state of the nation's broadband infrastructure.

"It would be an understatement to say I've heard the argument once or twice that there is simply no economic room for additional players to enter what Big Telecom companies always claim is a robustly competitive marketplace for Internet access. Virtually every company facing inquiries from regulators, politicians, and consumers always makes the point today's deregulated broadband playing field is an excellent example of free market competition at its best. While they advocate for even more deregulation, oppose the entry of community-owned broadband services, and demand more spectrum from Washington lawmakers, we endure a veritable monopoly/duopoly for Internet access. Their defense, after a dismissive rolling of the eyes, is that we just don't understand business."

"The use of broadband for many everyday activities has a huge cumulative impact on the economic welfare of a nation. It is difficult to get an exact read on how great the impact is. A few things are certain, however: The impact indeed is large, it is growing and nations that don't deploy broadband will be left behind."

Doubling the broadband speed for an economy increases GDP by 0.3%. Research conducted by Ericsson, Arthur D. Little and Chalmers University of Technology confirms that increased broadband speed contributes significantly to economic growth Positive effects come from automated and simplified processes, increased productivity as well as better access to basic services such as education and health

We are opposed to the concept of a formal usage cap on any standard service tier of a broadband service that relies on cable modem or telephone wiring. Many companies in the broadband industry are engaged in a high-priced lobbying campaign to manufacture a "bandwidth crisis/exaflood" or "shortage," suggesting that consumers are abusing their broadband connections at such a rate it threatens the integrity of the Internet and its distribution platform. Statistics are cited which suggest a small percentage of users are using the majority of a provider's resources. But independent verification of the numbers and raw data has been problematic, because most of the companies complaining refuse to open their records to independent verification "for competitive reasons."

s government strives to keep up with the broadband age, the Senate's Commerce Committee held a hearing today covering the future of television, but midway through the hearing I realized that the Senate has it all wrong. The future of TV isn't to be found in deregulation - it's on the Internet. We just have to let it happen. And to do that, Congress needs to look at how broadband providers control access to content, through caps, specialized offerings and deals.

Anyone who has experienced the inconvenience of having to use cash at a retail establishment because the store was unable to process credit cards knows that broadband is critical for retail establishments.

COLUMBUS - Connect Ohio is pleased to have Gallia County Economic Development in conjunction with Gallia County Jobs and Family Services (JFS) as partners in the statewide Every Citizen Online (ECO) broadband training project and has already trained 198 adults throughout the county. Classes are forming now at the Gallia County JFS center, located at 848 Third Avenue, in Gallipolis. Participants can register by calling (740) 446-4612 ext. 257. The free computer and Internet basics course is helping area adults connect and communicate in ways many people take for granted. The coursework, geared toward first-time computer and broadband users, includes computer basics, an introduction to the Internet, and how broadband can be helpful in daily life.

The Federal Communications Commission has voted unanimously to reform the Universal Service Fund and intercarrier compensation system. It is creating a new Connect America Fund, with a budget of US$4.5 billion to meet the end-goal of this policy shift: extending broadband infrastructure to rural Americans, as opposed to subsidizing rural phone service.

One of the worldwide challenges in relation to the development of national broadband networks is equality. Broadband is critical for the digital infrastructure and it is essential that everybody enjoys the same level of quality and affordability. This is a major challenge and as a rough measuring stick approximately one-third of the people in developed economies would miss out if there were not a requirement for equality.

"We get down to business by discussing the goals presented in the National Broadband Strategy last week of half the country having 70Mbps broadband by 2015, followed by two tiers of at least 40Mbps to a further 20pc and a minimum of 30Mbps in every single premises."

Creating a low-carbon economy means transitioning from the energy-intensive physical infrastructure of the 20th century to the innovative, connected, information-based infrastructure that will be the hallmark of the 21st century. Governments that recognize the opportunities broadband offers for addressing a range of socio-economic goals as well as climate action, are making the expansion of affordable, reliable broadband access a key priority, with positive economic results.