Democrats Show Political Leadership on Digital Divide, Propose Universal Broadband Access in Five Years

AdAge.com reports that House Minority Leader, Nancy Pelosi, has presented an "innovation agenda" (see press release). The cornerstone of the proposal focuses on a national broadband policy that addresses access disparity across rural and underserved communities.

In AdAge.com, Pelosi is quoted saying, "universal broadband will propel advanced Internet applications, such as distance learning, health IT, video-on-demand and voice over IP... it will put all Americans, no matter where they live, no more than a keystroke or a mouse click away from the jobs and opportunity broadband both creates and supports."

Reading from Karl Rove's talking points, Republican House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert said the GOP has been advocating a high-tech agenda all along, while Democrats have supported higher taxes, litigation and regulation. (Okay, maybe Hastert wasn't reading directly from Rove's talking points, but it sure sounds like him).