Fiber: The Coming Tech Revolution—and Why America Might Miss It

It's not new news that the United States trails many other developed nations in the availability of high-speed Internet connections built with fiber-optic technology. Crawford (law, Harvard.; Captive Audience) not only elucidates the technical reasons why this is true but delves into the policy and legislative efforts that favor incumbent technologies (cable and wireless telecommunication) and thwart so-called last-mile fiber connections from coming into U.S. homes and businesses at competitive prices. Moreover, the author examines the opportunity costs of this lack of infrastructure in terms of the impact on health care, education, economic development, and socioeconomic equity. Most compellingly, she compares local attempts in a number of American cities to bring gigabyte service to residents with varying degrees of success, rather than looking to overseas models in which differing cultural and governmental factors may contribute to triumph or failure. Finally, Crawford offers recommendations for changes needed at the state and federal level to make state-of-the-art fiber connections a practical reality.