The U.S. labor force is projected to grow slower than in the past, putting negative pressure on the overall rate of economic growth. Broadband-enabled innovations are among the most important drivers of productivity growth, which can help to counterbalance the effect of slower work force growth. Faster, smarter, and more secure broadband networks are critical enablers, providing a mechanism to gather, process, and disseminate valuable information, services, and products.

A primary objective of communications policy should be to encourage the rapid and efficient deployment of more and better broadband capability across the economy, enabling the wide adoption of productivity-enhancing innovations. The U.S. can accomplish this by removing barriers to investment by broadband providers, eliminating legacy burdens, and encouraging the migration to Internet Protocol networks. 

http://www.ustelecom.org/blog/broadband-boost-needed-economic-growth?utm_source=TDL&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=120613

AJW Comment: We feel the phase out of the PSTN and replacement with IP Telephony/fax will take much more time than people expect.  We’ll provide the reasons why in a forthcoming blog post.