Broadband access for the next generation

[Commentary] The future of broadband is about more than surfing the web, watching video, playing interactive games, texting and making phone calls. It is about entirely new forms of communication, including diverse community-wide conversations and large scale social collaboration. Through any media, broadband represents the future common means of sharing ideas and organizing people to act, regardless of frontiers. To deliver on the promise of open media providing freedom of information and freedom of expression for the next generation, "through any media and regardless of frontiers," local governments -- including our libraries, colleges, schools and community service districts -- need to participate in developing local broadband resources. Our general plan documents must provide a guiding vision for universal access to broadband media. And we all need to be more involved to support local efforts that build community media and broadband infrastructure. This is particularly true in remote, rural and micropolitan regions.

(Sean McLaughlin is executive director of Access Humboldt whose mission is "Local Voices Through Community Media." He currently serves on the board of directors for the Alliance for Communications Democracy and The Ink People Center for the Arts.)