Broadband is promised for every child and, more curiously, every doctor, as part of President-elect Barack Obama's massive stimulous plan, which centres around the largest public works projects since the 1950s. But his internet initiative has drawn immediate criticism from conservative think tanks.

In his weekly radio address (which in new millennial fashion also appears on YouTube - and in the site's new widescreen format, no less; above), Mr Obama makes faster, more persuasive internet central to his plan to spend somewhere between $US400 billion and $US700 billion on new infrastructure initiatives designed to created 2.5 million jobs, and make his country more competitive. Mr Obama said:

"As we renew our schools and highways, we’ll also renew our information superhighway. It is unacceptable that the United States ranks 15th in the world in broadband adoption. Here, in the country that invented the internet, every child should have the chance to get online, and they’ll get that chance when I’m President – because that’s how we’ll strengthen America’s competitiveness in the world.

"In addition to connecting our libraries and schools to the internet, we must also ensure that our hospitals are connected to each other through the internet. That is why the economic recovery plan I’m proposing will help modernize our health care system – and that won’t just save jobs, it will save lives. We will make sure that every doctor’s office and hospital in this country is using cutting edge technology and electronic medical records so that we can cut red tape, prevent medical mistakes, and help save billions of dollars each year."

Bret Swanson, senior fellow at the conservative think tank, the Progress and Freedom Foundation (PFF) says deregulation is "really bearing fruit" and should be given more time to work. The PFF and other consertvative groups also question the OECD's ranking methodology.