Gigabit Nation

FCC Chairman Genachowski just announced an initiative to get a gigabit city in every state by 2015. Is this a meaningful policy objective or, as some critics claim, "empty rhetoric"? Five community broadband industry leaders tackle this question. More importantly, they detail the heavy lifting necessary to get a gig to every state. Jim Baller, President of Baller-Herbst Law Group, is a well-known telecom attorney and community broadband advocate who presents legal and policy issues that need to be overcome or leveraged. Masha Zager, Editor of Broadband Communities Magazine, brings a good 30,000-foot view of both private sector and community efforts so far in the pursuit of highspeed Internet access. Christopher Mitchell, Dir., Telecommunications as Commons Initiative at the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, tracks gigabit cities across the U.S. and knows what challenges face communities pursuing this goal. Arkansas Senator Linda Chesterfield brings a state legislative perspective since so many laws and fu