Universal Broadband Access

No matter who's elected this November, universal broadband access will be on the agenda. Both Bush and Kerry have called for universally available high-speed Internet access. Currently the U.S. is 10th, among industrialized nations, in broadband access per capita.
 
So what's the big deal? Broadband Internet access allows for rich-media and new interactive services to be delivered to the end user. Also, the importance of the Internet to presidential politics was made clear by Howard Dean's cleaver use of meetup.com to build a virtual grassroots organization. Another wakeup call, especially for the Republican Party, is the success of the MoveOn.org web site. The web is cheap, accessible, quick, and, perhaps most importantly, customizable. You can tailor an interactive message for a niche market quicker than you can determine the status of a hanging chad.
 
According to Nielsen media, as reported by mediapost.com, "the John Kerry for President Web site surged 226 percent at home during the week ending July 11, attracting 616,000 unique visitors. The site also captured the second fastest growing spot at work, drawing more than one million surfers, rising 93 percent over the previous week.
 
The Bush-Cheney Web site drew 391,000 unique visitors at home, spiking 40 percent week-over-week, while the Republican National Committee Website soared 152 percent to 413,000 unique visitors. The Democratic Party's official Website, Democrats.org posted 170,000 unique visitors for the week ending June 11."