Speaking in New Mexico today, President Bush announced his support for rolling out universal broadband service within three years. From Reuters:

“We ought to have universal, affordable access to broadband technology by the year 2007,” Bush said. “And then we ought to make sure as soon as possible thereafter consumers have plenty of choices.”
“It’s important that we stay on the cutting edge of technological change, and one way to do so is to have a bold plan for broadband,” he said. Bush did not elaborate on how he would accomplish the 2007 goal.

In addition, Bush urged that broadband access be tax free. It looks like the issue, long dormant for this White House in particular, may become a campaign issue:

Minutes after the president spoke, Democratic presidential contender John Kerry mentioned broadband as a key growth area during a campaign speech laying out his economic policy.

The scorecard for IT campaign issues so far then: IT offshoring (to protect or not to protect); Universal Broadband (how to roll it out, who should pay); maybe soon IT R&D? 🙂