Policy DevCenter: Will Congress Ban Municipal WiFi?
Some of this is US-specific and much is happening in the US and elsewhere in terms of municipalities taking their destinies in their own hands.
At this point, it does seem clear that broadband access is almost as important as landline telephone access and postal service. Of course, broadband access may greatly benefit remote areas because telecommuting is possible for a number of people. In fact, this can apply, to a certain extent, to some parts of Africa. Broadband wireless (or wired) brings the local to the global.

Think Glocal!

[Yup! The term’s ugly but the concept’s neat.]