What I'm Optimistic for in 2008

Tech news site GigaOm.com put out a call earlier this month for its readers to submit short posts on what they're looking forward to and/or are optimistic for in 2008.

The best post wins a music system, and the best posts will be put up on their site starting tomorrow the first. (Anyone who feels optimistic about broadband in '08 should submit a post and also share as a comment to this post.)

The parameters for these posts entail talking about what you're optimistic for from a technology standpoint, but I couldn't help focusing on more than just hardware and software in detailing what I'm hopeful for in 2008 with regards to the deployment, adoption, and use of broadband.

For your reading pleasure, here's my submission:

I'm optimistic more people will be online than ever.ﾠ

I'm optimistic that the speeds at which people connect online will be
faster and cheaper than they are today.ﾠ

I'm optimistic in people discovering new ways by which their lives can
be improved through the use of broadband and broadband applications.
ﾠ
I'm optimistic that new uses of broadband will continue to spring up
and existing applications will continue to be refined.
ﾠ
I'm optimistic the Internet will take great strides from being a
nice-to-have to a must-have in improving the quality of our day-to-day
lives.
ﾠ
I'm optimistic that we will finally begin to have a constructive
dialogue at federal, state, and local levels about the need for more
broadband, how to get it, how to encourage its use, and how to
regulate it without hindering it.
ﾠ
I'm optimistic in my belief that 2008 will be the year that the value
of fiber and the big broadband capacity it delivers to the home will
finally begin to differentiate itself over copper access technologies.
And I'm optimistic that we'll have more entities deploying fiber than
ever.
ﾠ
I'm optimistic applications developers and hardware manufacturers will
begin to see the market potential to be found in the millions of
people not on the cutting edge of technology and, in turn, will begin
developing more ways for non-technical users to interface with and
benefit from the Internet.
ﾠ
I'm optimistic about the opportunities that exist when applications
developers, service providers, and network operators work together
rather than fight against each other, and that this will be the year
we realize what's possible through the development and deployment of
in-network applications.
ﾠ
And I'm optimistic that by this time next year everyone will have a
fuller understanding of the scope that the Internet revolution entails
and in the opportunities broadband presents to re-imagine nearly every
facet of society as we strive more boldly into the 21st century.