Where Is the Digital Highway Really Heading?
SEE ALSO Archive Category: Connectivity In an interview in the National Journal last March, the Vice President attempted to lay the matter to rest: “The idea of the federal government constructing, owning, and operating a nationwide fiber-optic network to the home is a straw man…. It is a phony choice that some people see between a federal public network and no federal involvement at all.” Gore instead laid out a vision for government involvement that focuses on coordinating network standards and funding advanced research in high- speed networks, applications development, and pilot projects for education. The Administration’s face-saving retrenchment came at a propitious time for cable and telephone companies, both of which have been gearing up for major broadband investments of their own. By focusing on public and private cooperation, with the private sector in the lead role of building the actual networks and government in a supporting role, the administration’s communication techn
