If that power continues to be deployed, unfortunately, broadband innovation will stall, waiting for the agency to issue reports, pursue inquiries, and mull over rulemakings at the more leisurely pace of Washington.

FORBES: How the FCC sees Broadband's 95% Success as 100% Failure

No, the big enchilada for Skilling is neither Enron 's failed broadband division nor its retail energy business, as Bethany McLean reports him predicting in The Smartest Guys in the Room, the book she co-authored with fellow Fortune reporter Peter Elkind.

FORBES: Jeffrey Skilling's 'Big Enchilada'

They said Virgin was the least complained about telecom providers and Ofcom reports consistently prove that they offered the UK's fastest widely available broadband, and they typically delivered the speeds they promised.

BBC: Twenty five Virgin Media ads found to be misleading

Now the petitioners are calling on Skype to create a reporting system for its cooperation with government surveillance modeled on the Transparency Reports issued by tech firms like Google, Twitter, and the California broadband provider Sonic.net.

FORBES: Letter From Forty-Four Digital Rights Groups Demands Skype Detail Its Surveillance Practices

The report makes a strong case for broadband as a driver of economic growth and new jobs, citing country case studies and reports by leading consultancies that point to increased employment opportunities, higher labour productivity and a strong stimulus to GDP.

UNESCO: MEDIA SERVICES