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Unfortunately, the National Broadband P... lan that they helped to develop proposes to bring 100 megabits-per-second service to 100 million Americans, while the remainder, most of whom live in less populated, geographically remote areas, would only receive 4 Mbps. This is contrary to the universal service provisions of the 1996 Telecommunications Act. If implemented, the plan could prevent rural Americans from reaping not only the myriad benefits that broadband offers now but also future benefits that we today can't even begin to imagine.

To avoid this, policymakers need to be conscientious about equality in broadband speed and support mechanisms for difficult-to-serve areas. We must not let the broadband plan neglect the value and contributions of rural communities as it moves forward.

Shirley Bloomfield, Arlington

The writer is chief executive officer of the National Telecommunications Cooperative Association, a trade association representing rural telecommunications providers.

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In their Washington Forum commentary, Blair Levin and J. Erik Garr were right to say that new technology can replace antiquated chalkboards and textbooks in schools. But prescribing a government mandate for an already-emerging technology is a sure-fire way to limit quality of service and raise costs. For a public school infrastructure that suffers from budgetary bloat and bureaucratic waste, it is a recipe for burning up billions of dollars.

The better strategy would be to embrace the advantages of the market. Allow competition between schools (through vouchers) and between telecommunications companies (through deregulation) to expand access to technology and lower its cost. Evidence from private and charter schools illustrates how efficiently technology can be deployed and the startling achievement gains that can be realized.

Marc Oestreich, Chicago

The writer is an education legislative specialist at the Heartland Institute, a nonprofit research and education organization.