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"The President set an ambitious goal for universal broadband access by 2007, yet, like many Administration initiatives, offered no specific benchmarks or policy directives. The lack of an up-to-date, comprehensive strategy forces the communications sector to muddle through a landscape marked by disparate government programs. 2007 has arrived and it remains unclear who, if anyone, in the Administration is taking up the mantle of assuring affordable broadband access to those who most need it. We should have a comprehensive national strategy to ensure affordable and robust broadband for all Americans. For the United States to maintain its global leadership in the information economy, it's time for a better broadband policy that serves all Americans."

-- Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.) "Affordable broadband for everyone" The Hill, Feb 6, 2007 (see http://thehill.com/thehill/export/TheHill/News/Frontpage/020607/sf_dinge...)

"Just as President Roosevelt recognized a responsibility to make electricity available to rural families in his New Deal, and just as President Eisenhower recognized the necessity of a National Highway System that would enable substantial economic growth in the country, it is time for us to make this technology available to the hard-to-reach communities that need it -- rural and urban. In contrast to Roosevelt's sweeping changes, this administration has pledged ubiquitous Broadband access by 2007, but has taken few concrete actions to achieve that goal. On the contrary, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) seems intent to inexplicably drag its feet on this measure -- despite broad bipartisan support in the Congress, as indicated by the Senate Commerce Committee's unanimous acceptance of a similar measure last year."

-- Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) "Kerry Introduces Wireless Innovation Act to Spur New Broadband Connections" Jan 10, 2007 (see http://kerry.senate.gov/v3/cfm/record.cfm?id=267392)

"[E]ven discounting for some of the differences in nations ahead of us, one thing is clear - we are not number 1. America needs a better plan. Unfortunately, we are still at the stage that having any broadband plan at all would represent an improvement."

"[T]he overarching goal of the Subcommittee's agenda is to fashion together a policy blueprint to make broadband service ubiquitous and affordable broadband for every American. Our end goal will be consumer choice, affordability, high bandwidth speeds, full build-out, high quality of service, and an open architecture that supports Internet freedom -- in short, an infrastructure for the 21st Century."

-- Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA) Feb 1, 2007 in address to Consumer Federation of America's Consumer Assembly (http://markey.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2577&I...)