Apple tablet comes at good time in push for broadband expansion initiatives

Apple reported a 50 percent surge in fiscal first quarter profit, which reached $3.4 billion on iPhone and Mac sales .

Tomorrow, Apple is expected to unveil a new addition to its popular product line-up. Executives said little about the product during Monday's earnings call other than that they are "really excited about it."

Rumors predict the company will release a tablet device--a handheld device with a touch screen that can be used to surf the Internet, play games or watch TV.

If the rumors are true, a new Apple tablet could unleash a new wave of products and applications in the same way the iPhone did three years ago. As policy-makers in Washington wrestle with ways to expand wireless broadband and mobile content, a tablet could help further demonstrate the need for more spectrum as a it encourages hordes of new adopters to hop on the airwaves.

But the tablet may not do much for the adoption side of things. Most Apple users are tech-savvy folks who have long been hooked up to the Internet. And Apple products aren't cheap. So it probably won't be the silver bullet needed to convince unserved consumers to log on to the Internet.

Nonetheless, as we saw at the Consumer Electronics Show, smaller, more portable devices are in demand. Just as mobile phones have become gateways to the Internet for many underserved communities, handheld tablets and net-books could spur broadband adoption as they go mainstream (and come down in price.)