Access to the Internet is an increasing problem in many areas of the world. As the popularity and usefulness of the Internet increases on a daily basis, lack of access to the technology is putting many groups at a disadvantage in terms of better education, better jobs and even in terms of higher levels of civic participation. However, creating a network infrastructure to serve outlying communities and sectors of the population is not straight-forward. This book brings together all the aspects of the problem – technical, regulatory and economic - into one volume to provide a comprehensive resource. It describes the latest technological advances that allow cost-effective network infrastructures to be built, and places them in the context of the applications and services that the infrastructure will deliver. A section on business models and case studies from North American and Europe demonstrate that the solutions are economically and practically viable. This book is essential for anyone looking to gain an understanding of the issues and technology surrounding the access debate. It will be of particular relevance to network engineers/designers/planners at the incumbent operator companies charged with delivering broadband access to as yet unconnected regions. Governments and regulatory bodies will also find this a useful guide to the problems that they may face.

An analysis of the failure of U.S. broadband policy to solve the rural–urban digital divide, with a proposal for a new national rural broadband plan. As much of daily life migrates online, broadband—high-speed internet connectivity—has become a necessity. The widespread lack of broadband in rural America has created a stark urban–rural digital divide. In Farm Fresh Broadband, Christopher Ali analyzes the promise and the failure of national rural broadband policy in the United States and proposes a new national broadband plan. He examines how broadband policies are enacted and implemented, explores business models for broadband providers, surveys the technologies of rural broadband, and offers case studies of broadband use in the rural Midwest. Ali argues that rural broadband policy is both broken and incomplete: broken because it lacks coordinated federal leadership and incomplete because it fails to recognize the important roles of communities, cooperatives, and local providers in broadband access. For example, existing policies favor large telecommunication companies, crowding out smaller, nimbler providers. Lack of competition drives prices up—rural broadband can cost 37 percent more than urban broadband. The federal government subsidizes rural broadband by approximately $6 billion. Where does the money go? Ali proposes democratizing policy architecture for rural broadband, modeling it after the wiring of rural America for electricity and telephony. Subsidies should be equalized, not just going to big companies. The result would be a multistakeholder system, guided by thoughtful public policy and funded by public and private support.

The internet has become so widespread that such issues as access, regulation and related policies have become major factors in the economy and social fabric of societies in every part of the world. Peoples without running water are demanding access to the internet and those without it are becoming deprived citizens. This new book examines current issues of interest to the blossoming area.

FUTURE FIXED AND MOBILE BROADBAND INTERNET, CLOUDS, AND IoT/AI All-in-one resource on the development of Internet and telecoms worldwide, based on the technological frameworks as defined by the ITU Future Fixed and Mobile Broadband Internet, Clouds, and IoT/AI is a highly comprehensive resource that provides full coverage of existing and future fixed and mobile broadband networks, internet, and telecom and OTT services. This book explains how to perform technical, business, and regulatory analysis for future 5G-Advanced, 6G, WiFi, and optical access. This book also covers optical transport, submarine cable, future satellite broadband, cloud computing, massive and critical IoT and frameworks and use of AI / ML in telecommunications. Topics covered include: Internet technologies, IPv6, QUIC, DNS, IPX, QoS in Internet/IP, cybersecurity, future Internet 2030, Internet governance Future metallic and optical broadband, carrier-grade Ethernet, SD-WAN, OTN, submarine cable, satellite broadband, business and regulation of broadband Future mobile and wireless broadband, 5G-Advanced, 5G/6G spectrum management, 5G Non-Terrestrial Networks, QoS, 6G/IMT-2030, WiFi 7 (802.11.be), mobile business and regulatory aspects Cloud computing architectures and service models, MLaaS, BaaS, future OTT and telecom cloud services, business and regulation of clouds Future voice, future TV, XR/AR/VR, critical IoT/AI services, future OTT services, metaverse, network neutrality, future digital economy and markets Future Fixed and Mobile Broadband Internet, Clouds, and IoT/AI is an essential reference for government officials and regulators, business leaders, engineers, managers, and employees in the telecommunications industry, ICT business professionals, and students in telecommunications.