More corners of the country would have high-speed Internet access and existing connections would become much faster under a sweeping proposal to overhaul U.S. broadband policy that is being unveiled today.

The plan from the Federal Communications Commission is meant to guide the government's strategy on broadband for the next decade and beyond. It reflects the Obama administration's concern that the nation that invented the Internet is in danger of falling behind the development of online applications in other countries that have faster broadband speeds at lower prices.

"Broadband is an infrastructure challenge that's very akin to what we've faced in the past with telephones and electricity," FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said in an interview. Genachowski has made the broadband plan his top priority, and his legacy at the commission will be linked to the plan's success or failure.

The proposal sets a goal of connecting 100 million U.S. households to broadband connections of 100 megabits per second - at least 20 times faster than most home connections now - by 2020. Although existing connections are often fast enough to let people watch TV shows or movies on computers, faster connections would open new kinds of services, such as fast-loading, high-definition videos ideal for viewing on big-screen TVs. The FCC also says faster broadband would enable doctors to monitor patients over the Internet and broaden the opportunities for students to take classes online.

The plan also calls for every American community to have at least one "anchor" institution, such as a school, library or hospital, that has ultra-high-speed Internet access. The FCC defines that as at least a gigabit per second, 10 times faster than the 100 megabits per second envisioned for home connections.

In addition, the plan is designed to encourage more people to subscribe to broadband. The plan recommends that Congress spend up to $16 billion over 10 years to build and operate a nationwide wireless broadband network that would allow police officers, firefighters and other emergency workers to communicate with each other.

Early reactions from the big phone and cable companies that dominate the U.S. broadband market were positive. US Telecom, a trade group that represents phone companies, praised the FCC for recognizing that "it will be through private sector investment and innovation that America's broadband deployment goals will be met."

SANTA CLARA, Calif. – At last year's IDC Directions show, Frank Gens, senior vice president and chief analyst for the firm, said that cloud computing was just on the verge of "crossing the chasm," that popular meme taken from a 1991 book of the same name that refers to a product making the leap from early adopter phase to mainstream

One year and one brutal recession later, and Gens is back as a keynote speaker at IDC's annual Directions show to declare that the chasm has indeed been crossed and the cloud is well on its way to becoming mainstream.

Last year, he said vendors needed to make it easier to adopt cloud technologies by offering better and simpler access to on-demand services, better pricing and on-premises options. In other words, do a lot of the work that helps customers get to the mainstream.

Well, that has begun to happen on the software side. Looking at software suppliers, virtually "every major software vendor has articulated a cloud strategy of some form and have offered either cloud-based versions of their products, or in many cases, having something on the drawing board," Gens told the audience of Silicon Valley workers.

The result will be a growth rate six times the rate of IT spending between now and 2013, IDC is projecting. In 2009, approximately $17 billion was spent on cloud-related technologies, hardware and software. By 2013, that spending is expected to grow to $45 billion.

Customers cite benefits as paying for only what they use, cutting costs, monthly payments instead of all up front, having a standardized system, and always having the latest software version, since nothing is installed locally.

Mr. Gens expects the cloud to rule for years, and advised the audience that now is the time to get in on the ground floor of that market.

"Are we going to make the right choices, or are we going to under invest or make the wrong choices? The cloud will be the platform of the future for many years to come," hesaid. "This is the year when we make those decisions."

Andy Patrizio is a senior editor at InternetNews.com, the news service of Internet.com, the network for technology professionals.

With all the negative publicity piling on lately, the sentiment from American car manufacturers might be seeing the powerhouse Japanese automaker in their rear view mirror.

Truck Stop by Noel Kerns / © All rights reserved

State padlocked 6 sites in January, says move could save $900K a year

Indiana hopes to save nearly $1 million by closing aging highway rest areas this year, but truckers who depend on the facilities for much-needed breaks are concerned about drivers' safety.

The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) shut down six of the state's 36 rest stops in mid-January. State officials would not say if additional sites would close in the future.

"There is a plan for going forward," said Bruce Childs, deputy commissioner of communications for INDOT. "It is still a work in progress."

Budgeting issues have forced highway departments across the country to close rest stops. In Virginia, 18 of 42 rest areas, plus a welcome center, are slated to close by Tuesday, according to the Virginia Department of Transportation Web site. Welcome centers are near state lines.

INDOT said it considered maintenance costs, customer demand and proximity to other rest areas before padlocking the Indiana rest stops.

Truckers say the closures in Indiana eliminate more than 100 potential truck parking places.

"The biggest thing is the safety issue," said Bob Hudson, chairman of the Safety Management Council for the Indiana Motor Truck Association. Federal laws prohibit truckers from driving more than 11 hours during a 24-hour period.

Hudson wrote to U.S. Rep. Baron Hill, D-Seymour, stressing the problems that closures can cause. When parking isn't available, truckers who have reached the 11-hour limit have two options: Park illegally or risk a citation for exceeding the driving limit.

The consequences can be deadly.

In April 2006, four Taylor University students and one employee were killed when a Michigan trucker crashed his rig into their van on I-69. The truck driver exceeded the federal driving rule by nine hours, police said. Witnesses said the trucker appeared to have fallen asleep at the wheel.

The state hopes to build newer rest facilities to replace the older ones, but there isn't a finalized plan. "There is hope that many of the facilities will be rebuilt into bigger and better facilities," said Brian Shattuck, facilities engineer for INDOT.

He said closing the aging ones could save taxpayers $900,000 a year.