In the bad old days, it was said that half the world was waiting for a phone connection and the other half was waiting for dial tone. If timely, evidence-based policy actions are not taken the new aphorism could be that half the world is waiting for broadband and the other half is waiting for a file to load. The signs of a data tsunami driven by increased smartphone use and applications are already here. Developing countries at the ends of inadequately provisioned and/or competitive backhaul networks are already experiencing degraded broadband performance. It is likely that the BOP will bear the brunt of the resulting forms of exclusion.