U.S. broadband policymakers must abandon the notion that the speed...

idea that dominates our broadband policy is that the primary metric to which our policy should aspire is to maximize the speed of the wireline network to our most rural of residents,” Levin said in a speech at the City Club of Cleveland. “This idea is hurting America. Yet that is the principal way we act. It’s wrong in almost every respect. There is no primary metric. How would it profit us to have high speeds if our devices are slow, our applications useless and our users illiterate?” A second stumbling block policymakers must get past is a “knee-jerk focus” on speed. “Speed is an input; what matters is the output,” he said. “The data [the FCC gathered] showed that while we need to increase speeds in some areas, the biggest untapped promise has more to do with applications; particularly new ways of delivering education, healthcare, public safety, job training and other critical public services.” There is also too much focus on wireline in general, Levin argued. “Wireline is important but mobile, wireless services will be every bit as important,” he said. “In terms of economic growth in the next decade, it may be more important. Wireless today is a horizon industry, an industry that points to how retail, manufacturing, agriculture, transportation, healthcare, education, and every other segment of our economy can improve their performance. … Emerging developments in nanotechnology, location awareness applications, and machine-to-machine communications will make wireless even more important."