Broadband and universal service

Here is an op-ed piece off of CNet. The context for this piece is universal service.

While we have yet to discuss this in depth, some of the main questions with universal service are:

• What is included in the definition of universal service?
  
• Through what mechanisms is universal service achieved? This usually revolves around some kind of subsidy.
  
• Who is eligible to recieve subsidies?
  

How does this article fit in to that framework? How about municipal networks? Do you think that broadband should be part of the universal service package?

Telecommunications, Regulation, Broadband, Universal Service