Writing for Washington Monthly, authors Robert W. McChesney and John Podesta posit that, far from being anti-business, publicly-owned broadband and wireless Internet access is essential to keep America from being left behind in the economics of the 21st century.

"Most people know broadband as an alternative to their old, slow dial-up Internet connection. These high-capacity data networks made of fiber-optic cables provide a constant, unbroken connection to the Internet. But broadband is about much more than checking your email or browsing on eBay. In the near future, telephone, television, radio and the web all will be delivered to your home via a single broadband connection. In the not-so-distant-future, broadband will be an indispensable part of economic, personal, and public life. Those countries that achieve universal broadband are going to hold significant advantages over those who don't. And so far, the United States is poised to be a follower -- not a leader -- in the broadband economy."

Full story: http://www.alternet.org/story/30802