Robert L. Mitchell’s “Keeping a Lid on Broadband” article in the Jan. 28 Computerworld is a serious mischaracterization of broadband reality in the United States. His call for re-regulation of the Internet would be the real “disaster.” Going back to the old days of heavy regulation of the telecommunications industry would be the policy equivalent of a government mandate for all Americans to revert to rotary dial phones.

In the era of Google, YouTube, and Facebook — or the next phenomenon from the marketplace of tech wonders that we can’t yet envision — the idea that regulation is the answer is simply wrongheaded. The broadband industry, in concert with many public-private partnerships, is developing critical new advanced services that provide better educational opportunities through distance learning. What about health care? Using broadband to connect hard-to-reach areas can save American seniors $800 billion a year and by telecommuting we can help the environment and prevent billions of tons of greenhouse gases while reducing US dependence on foreign oil.

What about the “broadband mess” that the article cites? Broadband usage is growing rapidly in every U.S. demographic group, market forces are providing businesses and consumers with an ever wider array of choices, and the United States leads the world in broadband-powered innovation and business creation. Today, there are some 1,270 broadband service providers in the United States. Last year alone they invested some $70 billion in private funds — not taxpayer dollars — to expand broadband networks and add an array of new services for consumers and businesses.

Broadband still “widely unavailable”? According the June 2007 “Home Broadband Adoption” study from the Pew Internet & America Life project, the following groups experienced much greater broadband adoption rates in 2006-2007 than the national average: households with annual incomes under $30,000, up 43 percent; African-Americans, up 29 percent; rural residents, up 24 percent. Clearly, the broadband industry — without the heavy hand of government regulators — is closing the digital divide.

Speed? High-speed lines or wireless channels connecting homes and businesses to the Internet at speeds that exceed 200 kbps (in at least one direction) increased from 65 million lines to 82.5 million lines during the second half of 2006, according to the FCC. For the full 12 month period ending December 31, 2006, high-speed lines increased by 31.3 million, from 51.2 million lines to 82.5 million lines.

Do we need to do more as a society to reach rural residents with broadband? Of course, and that’s exactly what the broadband industry, public-private partnerships, local government and community groups are accomplishing through new initiatives. A great example is ConnectKentucky, a public-private partnership that has helped to boost broadband usage to 94 percent of Kentucky households and full usage is on the horizon.

With so much positive progress underway, do we really need to turn back the clock a decade and hand over management of the Internet to the government? That, to me, sounds like the true “broadband mess.”

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