Poll shows tough road for broadband | CNET News.com

Poll shows tough road for broadband | CNET News.com:

The political and regulatory implications of this recent poll are enormous. Smart...or, better yet, no...regulation will be required to keep the broadband train on the track and moving at a fast pace.


"The federal government has historically helped ensure that telephone access is available to all Americans, including rural and low-income areas, where service might not otherwise be available. Most respondents to the News.com-Harris Interactive Poll agreed that it was important or extremely important for all Americans to have Internet access, whether by broadband or dial-up connection.

At the same time, by a margin of 56 percent to 44 percent, they opposed any government plan to directly subsidize the extension of broadband access to rural areas or for low-income citizens. Similarly, nearly 70 percent was against paying higher access fees to fund the expansion of broadband to those areas."