It is a simple fact that access to high-speed broadband is now as vital a component of K-12 school infrastructure as electricity, air conditioning, and heating. The same tools and resources that have transformed educators' personal, civic, and professional lives must be part of learning experiences intended to prepare today's students for college and careers. College students rely on technology for academic success and to improve personal productivity. In the workplace, everyone from mechanics to accountants to physicians depends on technology to conduct their work, grow their businesses, and collaborate with their colleagues--both locally and globally. With easy access to reliable, robust, and cost-effective broadband, one can ensure that each student's school experience mirrors evolving societal expectations for public education. Access permits students to create engaging text and multimedia projects such as videos, collaboratively conduct research with students on the other side of the state or the world, take online courses not available locally, and talk directly with authors and experts. Teachers can collaborate with colleagues, participate in professional development online, and immediately analyze the results from online assessments to personalize instruction for each student. Given that bandwidth availability determines which online content, applications, and functionality students and educators will be able to use effectively in the classroom, additional bandwidth will be required in many, if not most, K-12 districts in this country in the coming years. If educators are serious as a nation about preparing all students for college and careers, a concerted national effort will be required to address both school-based bandwidth needs and out-of-school access for students and educators. Given current trends and the real-world experiences of states and leading districts, this paper offers four recommendations for policymakers and school leaders committed to charting a course for the future of K-12 education enabled by broadband. Appended are: (1) Terms and Definitions; (2) Select Federal Funding Sources; and (3) References. (Contains 57 endnotes.) [For "The Broadband Imperative: Recommendations to Address K-12 Education Infrastructure Needs. Executive Summary," see ED532312.]