change.gov — "It is unacceptable that the United States ranks 15th in the world in broadband adoption...Here, in the country that invented the internet, every child should have the chance to get online, and they'll get that chance when I’m President -- because that’s how we'll strengthen America’s competitiveness in the world...."
Dec 11, 2008 View in Crawl 4
jgregcDec 11, 2008
Okay, I'll say it - how much is it going to cost to keep these kids safe online?As it is, parents pay for internet access for their kids, and it at least lends an air of responsibility to the situation. If they have free broadband service to kids who get no supervision whatsoever, well, any sentient being should see that there is a problem with the base ideal.Sounds like more "takes a village to raise a child" foolishness, which we will no doubt be seeing more of in the next few years. Don't get me wrong, having a fat pipe everywhere is wonderful, but it is being sold the wrong way.Not to mention that falsely forcing the current technology on the country pretty much locks down the next generation of speed. Would you really want to sell out for broadband when gigaband is around the corner? In a word, let the market catch up to itself as the technology matures. Keep the politicans at arm's length.
scooterbagaDec 11, 2008
I haven't put that much thought into it......I just want an internet service with less suck.
tbagsDec 12, 2008
counterstrike
markusxDec 12, 2008
I concur.
jgregcDec 12, 2008
You know, after thinking it over I realize that this 15th place is a bogus number. For example, In races sometimes first place and 15th place can be a matter of mere seconds.Instead look at the real numbers. If you go to <a class="user" href="http://www.websiteoptimization.com/bw/0802/broadband_hm_td_0802.png">http://www.websiteoptimization.com/bw/0802/broadba ...</a> you will find that broadband acceptance is doing great in the USA, If I may quote from the related headline: "US Broadband Penetration to Break 90%". This is not a situation that we need to get the government involved in, ESPECIALLY at the cost of delaying the next technology (gigaband, sweet), and doubly not to have it being provided and regulated by Uncle Sam any more than it is already.With a 90% broadband penetration, most (not all) of the people who have narrowband are doing so out of choice. This should be an option for them, since they have a different set of priorities than maybe I do. I don't think the government should try to change this. The same argument could be made for cable television - why get basic cable when you could get the expanded channel with discovery, TLC, NGC, and (my fave) the science channel? It could be argued that the other channels are better for the children, so why doesn't the government mandate that all households get extended cable? Simple - it should be a matter of choice. Always.It is not a race, but if you wanted to factor in the wonderful breadth (size) of the USA I think you will find that we are doing fantastic in broadband adoption. One thing is certain, it is not broken.