BBC: Recent figures suggest that since 2000, the US has dropped from third to 16th among nations worldwide in terms of per capita broadband access.
Studies suggest that 86% of households with income of more than $75,000 have broadband access. But the share is just 38% for those with an income of less than $30,000.
Municipal WiMax hopes to make on-demand information affordable/available to all.
Ironically, one of the frontiers of wireless accessibility is found in a rural swathe of Oregon. Here a 600-square mile cloud of wireless connectivity provides free, high-speed internet coverage to schools, emergency services and residents alike.
The brains behind the network is Fred Ziari, an Iranian immigrant who is CEO of EZ Wireless, a Portland-based hi-tech firm that contracted with local authorities to provide the wireless service.
Police in Hermiston County now carry wireless computers with which they can download images from video monitors, floorplans of buildings and, soon, access a database of suspects’ fingerprints.