Mobile broadband for troops.

• Position: Miss

* It is rather shocking that in today's wired culture, troops in combat zones do not have easy access to information. The military has spent billions of dollars during the past decade building high-tech networks and communications systems, but that wealth of technology does not necessarily flow down to low-level troops.

The problem often is described as a "digital divide" between the technology haves--the upper echelons of command--and the have-nots--the platoons and squads that are deployed in remote areas. The small units for the most part are disconnected from the main tactical networks and only are able to communicate with short-range voice radios. At the top echelons, commanders can tap into loads of data--maps, satellite images, video feeds and reams of intelligence reports. But soldiers out on patrol cannot always receive or send important and potentially life-saving messages. Army officials have acknowledged that it will be difficult to achieve their ultimate goal of deploying a...