From WNYC in New York, this is NPR's on the media.

I'm Brooke Gladstone. And I'm Bob Garfield.

When the subject is the infrastructure needed to rebuild America's economy, President Barack

Obama isn't speaking merely of roads and bridges or even smart power grids.

It means expanding broadband lines across America so that a small business in a rural town

can connect and compete with their counterparts anywhere in the world. That'll be no mean feat.

In South Korea and Hong Kong, Paris and London, internet users enjoy download speeds up to

10 times faster than commonly available here at about a quarter of the price.

And many countries have already committed themselves to providing their citizens with universal access.

In terms of the connectivity required for the future of education, health care, technology, and commerce,

not to mention downloading an iPhone app, the U.S.

lags far behind much of the world.

Hence, the National Broadband Plan, released this week by the Federal Communications Commission.

It's an ambitious $20 billion, 10-year roadmap for redistributing the broadcast spectrum,

maximizing bandwidth, lowering prices for internet, phone, and cable, and guaranteeing universal access to every mountaintop and

hollow. It's also already under attack from broadcasters, business groups, and especially consumer advocates.

This is a great report by weight.

Bruce Kushnick is the chairman of Telethruth, a consumer watchdog group.

If you print it out, it's heavy.

You could use it as a doorstop.

Or if you play piano, you could stick it under your button.

You could sit higher on the piano stool.

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