] "The people of Lafayette feel like there is a history of
] seizing the initiative," said John St. Julien, a member
] of Lafayette Coming Together, a citizens group supporting
] the fiber network. "Our Creole and Cajun communities have
] always been told by outsiders that everything we did was
] wrong--from our language to the food we eat. Culturally,
] we've learned not to care what others think or say about
] us. I think it gives us a place to stand when companies
] like BellSouth and Cox come in and tell us we can't do
] something."

This is a storm that's been brewing for years and is mostly the result of the CLEC boom collapsing. There's been no real competition to drive broadband deployment for about 4 years now, and there's never been any competition to incent rural deployment.

The electricity analogy is an apt one. With it, the US leapfrogged the rest of the world and was on solid footing to become the dominant force of the 20th century. Broadband is not fast food. It is not a convenience. It is the next plank in the platform which can carry us into the 21st century as a leading force. One that we are sorely behind in by all accounts.