Earlier this month Google and the New America Foundation announced a special Google Moderator page where users can submit and vote on ideas for how to make high-speed Internet access more available and affordable in the United States. So far we've been overwhelmed with the creativity and enthusiasm of the responses.
In just under two weeks, more than 2,100 people from around the world have submitted more than 530 ideas and cast more than 45,300 votes. Here's a quick taste of what people are saying:
"Whatever method or process is decided for deploying broadband, it needs to support down and upstream capacities that prepare for the future, not simply serve the needs of right now."
Justin M, Turlock, CA
"We seem to have gotten a road and an electric wire to almost every building in the US, no matter how remote. Any plan that has a lesser goal than eventually attaching every building to a high-speed computer network is too small, IMHO."
Rollie, Indianapolis, IN
"This country can have free WiFi nationwide by constructing WiFi towers that are also windmills. Excess energy can be sold, providing free WiFi and helping this country with its enormous energy needs, while also providing free WiFi to the masses."
Roadrunner, Earth
Justin M, Turlock, CA
"We seem to have gotten a road and an electric wire to almost every building in the US, no matter how remote. Any plan that has a lesser goal than eventually attaching every building to a high-speed computer network is too small, IMHO."
Rollie, Indianapolis, IN
"This country can have free WiFi nationwide by constructing WiFi towers that are also windmills. Excess energy can be sold, providing free WiFi and helping this country with its enormous energy needs, while also providing free WiFi to the masses."
Roadrunner, Earth
But what do you think?
If you haven't already weighed in, today is your last day to submit your ideas to Google Moderator. Voting will close tonight at midnight (Eastern Time).
Over the next several days we'll be studying each and every submission, and next week we'll submit the results from Google Moderator to the official FCC record on your behalf. Stay tuned to this blog for the latest information on this and other projects designed to help bring more broadband to more Americans.