The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released its national broadband report this week, kicking off a wave of news coverage about issues like expanded access and Internet speed.

Even as healthcare reform legislation continues to take much of the policy and media spotlight, the attention garnered by the release of the 376-page report signals the important role that the technology and telecommunications industries will play in shaping broadband in the US.

“This isn't a policy debate about an arcane issue,” says Joe Farren, ...