Great conversations underway here in Silicon Valley at the Tech Policy Summit.

The good news:

The commitment to connecting all Americans is stronger than ever. It is a priority that spans policymakers, parties, and public- and private-sector players. It won’t be one technology or business model that delivers a silver bullet. But we’ve reached a tipping point in terms of broad commitment to this ambitious goal and technology and policy conversations are becoming tactical: How do we get there?

Broadband adoption issues are getting equal time. The conversation about a national broadband strategy now consistently acknowledges the need to focus on both halves of the equation. For broadband’s benefits to reach beyond policy panels into the real world, we need to address not only broadband availability, but also adoption across demographics. Seniors, minorities, people with disabilities all have much to gain. But, from digital literacy to the cost of a personal computer, adoption brings into play a complex and diverse set of issues that need to be addressed.

In our conversations here about a national broadband strategy, there has been no shortage of ambition. The underlying point is clear and right on: Everyone is talking “more.”

We at NextGenWeb are optimists. We have tried to reach out and highlight people all across this country who are focused on what broadband can do to improve our economy and the quality of life of all Americans and how various stakeholders are working together to bring these benefits to life in communities across our country.

But some discussions here this week have raised some concerns.

What will it take to deliver “more”? Money. Investments have to be made in deploying and maintaining infrastructure, research and technology. Currently, the focus is on the $5 billion in stimulus funds. While this is a lot of money by anyone’s standards, what went unacknowledged here is the fact that this sum represents less than 10% of annual investment by U.S. broadband providers.

Over the past 10 years, this nation has seen unprecedented levels of private investment in networks throughout our country. But, several here are choosing to overlook this fact and are calling for rollbacks of the policies that made this progress possible.

Over the course of the past several months, there have been many serious conversations about how we can move our broadband future forward. This has resulted in collective progress and growing consensus around core national objectives and a more collaborative approach across the diverse spectrum of policies, priorities and players. Let’s not get sidetracked into old debates that have long passed. We literally can’t afford to lose sight of the fact that investment is what transforms lofty goals into innovative realities. We can’t get to the future by going back in time.

Here’s hoping we continue constructive, educated dialogue and press forward together.

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