This paper brings up an amount of information, data and estimations, most of them originated in academic literature, with the objective of generating a debate on the economic effects of broadband, rather than its technical issues. Our goal is to start a debate that brings out the economic effects of broadband implementation. To achieve this goal, we start with a brief review of the different existing technologies, the process of broadband implementation and extension, the role of the different agents involved (carriers and providers, government, regulators) and the effect of regulation and competition in this market. After this introduction, an analysis of the territorial effect of broadband is performed. The article concludes with some final thoughts and an exhaustive bibliography for those who want to analyze this subject in depth.