Forks, Washington: Harnessing the Power of Broadband in Rural America
Tucked away on the western edge of the Olympic Peninsula, the small town of Forks, Washington is a four-and-a-half hour drive west from Seattle. But in one sense, it is a world away from Seattle’s legendary engine of job creation and the city’s always-on, always-wired culture. Forks, with a population of just over 3,000 people, for decades was reliant upon logging and lumber. By the mid-1990s, however, our natural resource-based economy was drastically changed as we lost many, many timber-related jobs due to a restructuring of that industry and the designation of millions of acres of old-growth forest as protected areas.
In an effort to diversify the local economy, many local residents began to focus on harnessing the potential of the “Information Age” by becoming a high-tech community linked to the globe through broadband services. The Forks experience holds great promise for the economic development of rural areas all over America.
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Computers 4 Kids
I would like to invite you to watch an inspiring video about “Computers 4 Kids,” a program just launched by Connected Tennessee. You will hear the story of Lotez Holloway, a foster care child who has been in six homes in five years, but retains his enthusiasm and drive for educational excellence. “At school these days, basically you need a computer to get along,” Holloway says. “It’s like your pencil now.”
Through the Computers 4 Kids program, Connected Tennessee and its partners are placing 1,000 computers in the homes of underprivileged children each year for the next three years. Why are we doing this? Simple. Students need a computer at home in order to succeed at school.
ITIF: Explaining International Broadband Leadership
The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) released a new study today on broadband policy at the National Press Club in Washington. The report, titled “Explaining International Broadband Leadership”, looks at policies in nine nations and finds that, while we shouldn’t look to other nations for silver bullets or assume that practices in one nation will automatically work in another, U.S. policymakers should look to broadband best practices in other nations. Learning the right lessons and emulating the right policies will enable the United States to improve our broadband performance.
The broadband leadership study, which I co-authored with ITIF’s Daniel K. Correa and Julie A. Hedlund, put forth a number of key lessons for American policymakers:
Click below to read more and view the full presentation along with an interview with Rob Atkinson
Women’s High Tech Coalition Live Stream
Angela Braly, WellPoint CEO, is delivering a speech to the Women’s High Tech Coalition today, April 30th at 12:30pm EST, discussing the transformational role of health information technology on improving quality and increasing access in the U.S. health care system. Ms. Braly will be joined at this event by Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, WHTC Honorary National Chairwoman; Rep. Jo Ann Emerson, WHTC Honorary Founding Chairwoman; and Rep. Melissa Bean.
This event has now concluded. Please watch an archived version of the stream below.
Debunking the OECD Rankings Myth
Tired of seeing the U.S. misrepresented when it comes to global broadband rankings? So are we. And we’ve done something about it. Evidence continues to mount that shows the U.S. as a leader in broadband deployment. Too often this information is left out of blogs and news articles focused on how Luxembourg and Denmark are doing. So take the time and check out our new “Debunking the OECD Rankings Myth” page in our Setting the Record Straight section. And get the real story on America’s leadership in broadband deployment.
NextGenWeb’s Coverage of Second “Congress Debates” in Cincinnati, OH
At 2pm EST today, the Democratic Leadership Council, Congressional Institute and the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital will bring together eight Democrats and Republicans from the U.S. House of Representatives to debate the condition of health care in the United States.
This debate is the second in the series of bipartisan “Congress Debates” launched earlier in 2008 in an effort to foster congressional dialogue on the most pressing issues facing America.
Check back at 2 pm EST to watch the debate live.
US Cattlemen’s Association: Broadband Deployment is necessary for Ranchers in Rural America
I am a fifth generation rancher currently managing a cow-calf operation in eastern Montana. I am also the director of government relations for the U.S. Cattlemen’s Association, USCA.
I would like to share with you how broadband is positively affecting the cattle industry and what more needs to be done to expand broadband to ranchers, farmers and other rural Americans.
Broadband technologies help ranchers access up-to-the minute information on important data, such as grain prices and the price of feeders and finished cattle, not to mention the weather. This information allows us make better decisions about our daily operations and helps optimize our success rate.
Broadband’s Role in the Aging Experience
NextGenWeb recently attended Center for Aging Services Technologies (CAST) annual conference in Washington DC. The Center for Aging Services Technologies is leading the charge to expedite the development, evaluation and adoption of emerging technologies that can improve the aging experience. CAST has become an international coalition of more than 400 technology companies, aging services organizations, research universities, and government representatives. After the event, NextGenWeb caught up with Majd Alwan, Director of CAST, and Larry Minnix, President and CEO of AAHSA, to discuss how they are using broadband technologies to provide first-rate care while reducing health care costs.
Click here to see the interviews
Broadband: Leveling the Playing Field for the Elderly
In this interview, Joy Howell, the Director of the “How Broadband Changed My Life Campaign” at the Alliance for Public Technology, discusses how broadband is leveling the playing field for the elderly. Joy highlights how broadband is enabling seniors to live independently and keeping them better connected to their families and communities. Joy also emphasizes how the use of broadband technologies provides seniors with vital health care information and increases access to specialists who may be thousands of miles away. Joy concludes, “Broadband is changing people’s lives in every possible way”.
Click here to listen to a podcast of the interview
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