India To Get Universal 2Mbps High Speed Internet

Once again another country is taking a leap ahead of the United States in the race for universal high speed internet connectivity. For years the Indian government has been directing its resources towards making the country’s workforce competitive in the global high tech economy. However, officials at the highest level of government have recognized that a remaining hurdle is the country’s infrastructure, which continues to lag behind.

The existing infrastructure through the country is sparse and the cost of high speed internet access puts it out of the reach of most of the country’s population. To address this, the government of India is proposing that the current infrastructure be expanded, giving government-funded high speed internet access to all Indians. The proposal calls for the system to deliver a 2 Mbps internet connection to the doorstep every one of the more then one billion citizens.  Senior government officials expect to be able to fund the buildout via the Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF).

India is thinking big and it is time for the United States to do the same. Although a massive government-funded buildout is not practical in the US, we can work to create a comprehensive national high speed internet policy that will bring together public and private interests to expand the infrastructure. There is no reason every citizen in India should have access to a high speed connection and not every American.

If America wants to stay competitive in the global marketplace, we must get our networks up to speed. It’s time for big ideas and big investment on the part of the public and private sector--it is the only way we will keep up in a global economy.

India could get free 2Mbps broadband internet by 2009 - Engadget
Broadband to go free in 2 yrs – Times News Network