Open Left

Broadband Discussion

Let me echo John's endorsement and elaborate on his concerns.  ConnectKentucky appears to be doing great work in mapping broadband and aggregating demand, but I understand that CK defines "broadband" as 256K, treats provision of this level of "broadband" by a single provider to be an indicator of success, allows the incumbents to be heavily involved in its decision making process, and, most troubling to me, supports public broadband initiatives only as a last resort.  Are these statements correct?  If so, how can CK -- or its progeny around the US -- provide communities unbiased information about their options?  If a community wanted to build a network of its own that was more robust or could provide better or less expensive service than a private entity proposed to do, how would CK react? 

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by: Jim Baller @ Fri Jul 27, 2007 at 19:01:27 PM CDT