The broadband sector is receiving growing attention worldwide as governments recognize the crucial role that broadband will play in economic recovery. The emerging Anywhere Network™—a powerful, pervasive digital network that can connect all people, at any time, in any place—presents an opportunity to create more jobs, increase productivity across a country’s workforce and develop new solutions for health care, education, transportation and energy.

In the U.S., three key agencies are still sorting out how to allocate the broadband funds, and to whom, and many details remain unclear. Despite this flux, companies who seek to capitalize on the energy around broadband must understand the current state of thinking and the likely direction, nature and size of project funds being distributed throughout the world.

Yesterday, Vince Vittore and I hosted a webinar about the impact of broadband regulation on the global economy. The presentation included a breakdown of stimulus funding in the U.S., an overview of rural broadband usage and adoption and a discussion of global opportunities.

The webinar runs about an hour: audio (mp3) and slides (pdf).

As a long-time watcher of the global communications industry I’ve never before seen such a golden opportunity for policy reform as now. In the U.S. there’s finally a political commitment to national broadband policy. This is a first. And, it’s a milestone when also combined with recognition that broadband has a role in economy-wide recovery.

The U.S. can always do better on any broadband scale. Our view at Yankee Group is that it won’t make progress without a national policy. And it won’t set a realistic policy without a clearer picture of the nation’s broadband market and its users. The economic stimulus plan gets it – it tasks the Federal Communications Commission with the development of a national policy and it allocates dollars to build a national broadband map.

It’s time for the U.S. to put the horse before the cart—while all of the buzz and hype is around the stimulus package, it’s secondary and will have far less impact than will a longer term approach. This is just the beginning of a long journey as the U.S. contemplates its future. Broadband deployment and use is an often overlooked piece of the puzzle; its part can be significant in the nation’s overall progress if policy is framed and implemented effectively.

There’s no single solution or right or wrong way for the U.S. to approach NBP development or its implementation. Yankee Group argues that there are some fundamental guiding posts to lead the way though. It’s an incremental process. It’s also an extremely opportunistic juncture for the US, one which Yankee Group itself welcomes the opportunity to contribute to as the debate and policy development progresses.

To this end, today we published a report titled What the U.S. Must Do for Broadband. Shortly we’ll also publish a report dedicated to broadband and the economic stimulus plan. We argue that President Obama’s plan to pair technology with economic recovery will fall short without a national broadband policy. A policy that must be vendor, operator and technology agnostic and one that acknowledges local needs.

“Broadband for all” is a catchy banner, but making broadband available is only part of the equation. Making it affordable must also be addressed. The current broadband stimulus proposals won’t solve these challenges. A broader long term national strategy is critical to the U.S.’s progress to officially become a nation where the Anywhere Network thrives.