Broadband Obama

[Commentary] Is broadband a technology or a service? Should broadband be considered a lifeline service just as wired telephone service has been for the past 75 years? How long to achieve universal broadband? Federal mandate will provide umbrella guidelines for broadband implementation and set a faster timetable for a nationwide deployment. Such a policy need not supersede state mandates but rather dovetail with them. A directive like this also establishes important guidelines for service providers and their equipment suppliers. (John M. Celentano is President of Skyline Marketing Group, a Baltimore, MD-based telecom market analysis and consulting firm.)