Clarion Content

There is a significant amount of debate about what kind of dollars for high speed internet infrastructure investment will come out of President-elect Obama's economic stimulus package. Some pundits are predicting as much as $30 billion, others are forecasting much less. There is also debate about when government investment comes, should it prioritize expanding availability and access to those who do not have broadband, or should the focus be on updgrading the speed of the existing networks, or should it be infusing more competition into the marketplace; not that they are mutually exclusive or zero-sum.

One of Obama's technology advisors warned the Congressional Internet Caucus Advisory Committee's State of the Net Conference, "Don't confuse a piece of the puzzle with the puzzle." A tempting promise and mere rhetoric for now, in so many words saying, "Well if you are disappointed with the internet infrastructure investment in the stimulus package, there will be more later." Perhaps this is a deliberate soft-sell spin, to temper expectations from getting too high. There is a lot of stimulus package horse trading still going on; it looks bloated from the Clarion Content's offices, and likely to under-prioritize important network investments like internet infrastructure and the national highways in favor of congressional inside baseball.

Labels: Economy, Politics, technology