This proposal is flawed. Especially if you compare it to the New Deal.

The infrastructure developed from the New Deal provided a tangible product which could be openly used by other segments of the economy and benefited far more. Roads affected the Automotive Industry and eventually the suburban sprawl and housing. Electrical networks, and others. And that's there the SuperHighway comparison ends.

But the current idea of FOSS will be replacing software that generates a billion dollars in revenue from other companies. So the lobbyist will be full power to block this one. You aren't creating a new infrastructure, but creating a replacement infrastructure. You will have to be very sure that the FOSS software savings will stimulate the economy more than the software industry collapse will hurt it. And understand that the damage will be highly localized.

You might be more effective at a internet boom if you actually put the US on top of the internet technology list by improving the infrastructure of internet service. If the US guaranteed connectivity to every house at a minimum speed sufficient to actually use the internet (9600 dial up is not it) then there would be some interest in more computers and more computer technology development. But you can't make 100% computer solutions when only a fraction of the people in the country have access to the internet on a practical basis.

Since I first got on the internet, prices have increased upwards of 5X to maintain a declining service level in a market of high saturation and high volumes. Both of these should be lowering costs rather than raising it.

Obama might be more inclined to apply a fixed rate regulation on internet services and push internet connectivity like the Rural Electrification Project. All I want is a static IP address, DNS server to access, and a fixed up/down speed. I don't want portals, email, or anything else for that matter.

I put black electrical tape over the clock face of my old VCR. Then you didn't notice it at all.

Where I am currently working, a pizza box server has an annual cost of 2.5 developers salaries for the same period of time. It's grossly out of balance from this article.

Perhaps there is a reason some companies need Government Bailouts...

Search for Jack Rabbit media storage. It's relatively cheap but can easily manage GigE speeds. It's a small company a friend of mine has going and is capable of exceeding EMC brochures. When I say relatively cheap that's against the big boys, not SoHo.

But it's definitely a kickin' box.

Mod me all you want. But I still think PostgreSQL is better. Now I have proof!

Seriously thought, if a company buys up the software and they start forking this much, the company doesn't get it

I would disagree with your last resort conclusion here. It's a weapon of first resort in that it's filed as soon as anything is thought of, regardless of it's application or value. Patents are a defensive maneuver to stake out market space against the competition. They are not used to safeguard the development of your own product/market.

That's the change in patent practices. A company patent profile is easily 10 times greater then what they actually manufacture, sell, design. And many of these they have no intention of ever using. It's just to build a market space electric fence to stake out technological territory so others can't get close to your business. In today's environment a company would have patented everything they could around TCP/IP and electronic data transfer to ensure that no one else could use The Internet. Fortunately Bill Gates missed the internet.

One means of easy reform would be to set the rules as:

1. Patent anything you want.
2. Unrealized patents expire in 3 years. If you can't make a product in 3 years you have a design process problem in house or it's too complicated and you need help in terms of opening the patent to a collaborative development with other companies.
3. Patents that are in actual routine use expire in 10 years. With few exceptions, this is sufficient time to either make it work or see it die. With the business model of VC funding and the Start Up company, good ideas launch faster than that.

The next big challenge will by how to correct copyright law. That's even crazier.