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Why UltraBroadband™ Is A Critical Public Infrastructure |
Building a high speed communications infrastructure is critical to the
economic and social development of a community. Communities that deploy
fiber optic UltraBroadband™ infrastructures are likely to
experience the following benefits:
Attract new employers and investors
The presence of fiber-based services will increase the appeal of an
area to both potential employers and investors. Businesses today, in
particular large corporations need large bandwidth in order to operate.
They are unlikely to relocate or establish themselves in an area
without sufficient Internet access. Investors are looking for the best
opportunity and the most competitive environment. A community with
outdated technology or without Internet access at all can’t expect to
compete for either jobs or investment.
Enhance the competitiveness of local small to mid-sized businesses
Small to mid-sized businesses is the backbone of any economy. They
employ over 50% of the private sector, account for 39% of jobs in the
high tech sector and provide approximately 75% of new jobs added to the
economy.(1) However, it is increasingly true that these businesses must
expand their market reach outside of their local market in order to
grow. To do this, they need high-speed Internet access and fiber optics
cables are the only medium capable of meeting the demand for large
bandwidth and high speed.
New markets and opportunities for entrepreneurs
Through the use of fiber optics, new opportunities will be opened up.
For the small town or rural area, high speed Internet access offers a
link to potential customers or clients. Residents of these areas will
be put on an equal footing with competitors in New York City or Silicon
Valley. Due to the advent of the Internet, one’s opportunities are no
longer defined by one’s location, but rather by one’s skills and
knowledge.
Attract high skill, high wage jobs into the community
In particular, the biotechnology, information and communications
sectors are most likely to be drawn to a region that offers the
broadband technology they need to operate. These jobs are generally
high skill, high wage and have an overall positive effect on a
community’s economy. Tax revenues increase. Higher wages are spent
within the community, which has a positive spillover effect. With a
higher number of its citizens employed in good, well-paying jobs, less
money needs to be spent on social services by local governments. Poorer
rural areas that suffer from high unemployment rates would particularly
benefit from attracting these higher-paying jobs.
Educational Benefits
Universities and other educational institutions' unique applications of
high speed broadband technology have led them to see numerous benefits.
College campuses are using it to offer their students such benefits as
free or inexpensive telephone service, virtual office hours and
one-on-one video conferencing with professors. Enhanced learning is
being developed through interactive lessons and distance teaching. In
rural areas in elementary and high schools, high speed Internet access
has enabled students to further their educational opportunities in
similar ways, through distance learning and educational exchanges.
Through this amazing technology, access to knowledge has gone beyond
the limits of what is physically available in the local library.
Additional Benefits
Deployment of broadband systems increases the quality of life in a
community through its medical, educational, governmental, entertainment
and other applications, all at an increasingly lower cost for the home
user.
(1) The United States Small Business Administration website: http://www.sba.gov/aboutsba/sbastats.html
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