Insight 6: Choosing the Right Degree of Government Involvement Critics of governmental involvement and investment in infrastructure say that government is ill-trained to understand the market dynamics, productivity-boosting compete will depend greatly on their access to in-formation. For mature economies, especially those experiencing a rapid shrinking in their formerly dominant industrial sectors, the twin imperatives of the digital economy are speed and access, and next-generation possibilities and some of the other features of the private operators that often provide telecom-munication services. Although this may be true, broadband has the potential to offer there are also market weaknesses delaying the de-ployment both, at levels never before imagined. Those nations taking the fi rst step in seizing the opportunities of next-generation broadband may not always be the most effi cient nor always the most successful in deployment, but they will surely be better off than those nations that remain on the sidelines, para-lyzed of the networks needed to meet market demand. This is a situation suited for public policy-makers – with the right focus and use of resources, they can break down the barriers to next-generation broadband infrastructure development. either by fear, cost or the unknown. The key is to see next-generation broadband as part of an economic strategy, rather than a concern only for sector regulators. In the digitally-linked global economy, the ability of citizens and business to Source: Booz & Company (2009), “Digital Highways: The Role of Government in 21st-Century Infrastructure”, written by Roman Friedrich, Karim Sabbagh, Bahjat El-Darwiche and Milind Singh. Confronting the Crisis: ICT Stimulus Plans for Economic Growth 33