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Broadband: Bringing Home the Bits


This report examines the technologies, economics, policies, and strat- egies associated with the broadband challenge (the “first mile” or “last mile” high-speed connectivity problem, depending on one’s perspective) and makes recommendations aimed at fostering broadband’s deployment and use. Following roughly a decade of development and experimenta- tion and a recent period of rapid growth, first-generation broadband ser- vices, using primarily cable modems and digital subscriber line (DSL), are available in many markets. This progress is offset by recent business fail- ures and uncertainty about the pace of future investment—factors that in part reflect slow growth in subscriptions for broadband services. Today, dial-up connections over the public telephone network remain the domi- nant way homes and small businesses connect to the Internet or other online services. Broadband, though, not only provides higher-perfor- mance options for connecting to familiar Internet and other online ser- vices, but its capacity and “always-on” nature also enable new network- based activities. Together, these capabilities promise significant social and economic benefits. The Computer Science and Telecommunications Board initiated this study in an effort to understand the hows and whys of broadband deployment and use.
0-309-50896-7
NONE
Information Technology
English
202
1-337
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