Back in the Internet dark ages, around December 2007, the State of California released a report entitled "The State of Connectivity - Building Innovation through Broadband."  This was in response to public concern that both California and the United States continued to fall further behind other economic competitors, in particular South Korea, and Singapore.

The report also outlined a new state task force (California Broadband Task Force/CBTF) with the objective "to remove barriers to broadband access, identify opportunities for increased broadband adoption, and enable the creation and deployment of new advanced communication technologies." The governor also requested that the CBTF "pay particular attention to how broadband can be used to substantially benefit educational institutions, healthcare institutions, community-based organizations, and governmental institutions."

Task Force members were selected from a variety of disciplines and industries, including Cable TV (Cox Communications), broadband hardware (Cisco Systems), academia (USC, Humboldt State), government (Cities of Mountain View and San Francisco, state assembly), and telecom carriers (AT&T, Verizon, Hughes).  While I might find personal apprehension having so many utilities telecom companies as part of the conversation (AT&T, Verizon, Cox), the members do represent a good mix of professionals who can appreciate the need for broadband.