“President George W. Bush is calling for universal and affordable access to broadband Internet service by 2007, saying that the technology would speed the flow of information and spark innovation,” Scarlet Pruitt reports for IDG News Service.

“‘It’s important that we stay on the cutting edge of technological change, and one way to do so is to have a bold plan for broadband,’ Bush said at the Expo New Mexico in Albuquerque on Friday, according to official White House transcripts,” Pruitt reports. “Bush made a call to keep broadband prices low and added that ‘Congress must not tax access to broadband technology if we want to spread it around.’”

Pruitt reports., “The comments were made during a speech mostly concentrated on home ownership. However, Bush linked the government’s broadband push with “keeping the entrepreneurial spirit strong” and helping people realize dreams like starting a business or owning a home. ‘You see, new ideas and new businesses and new ways to educate people in Farmington, N.M., are going to occur when we’re able to get information flowing across cables and telephone lines in a fast way,’ Bush said.”

“In addition to making broadband a centerpiece of his current technology agenda, the president has supported an extension of the Internet tax ban and has appointed leaders to promote broadband’s development and use,” Pruitt reports.

Full article here.