Book excerpt: Broadband is the great infrastructure challenge of the early 21st century. Broadband is a foundation for economic growth, job creation, global competitiveness and a better way of life. The number of Americans who have broadband at home has grown from 8 million in 2000 to nearly 200 million last year. But. 100 million Americans do not have broadband at home. In early 2009, Congress directed the FCC to develop a National Broadband Plan to ensure that every American has ¿access to broadband capability.¿ This plan must also include a strategy for achieving affordability and maximizing use of broadband. The plan presented here ensures that the entire broadband ecosystem ¿ networks, devices, content and applications¿ is healthy. Illus.