The words of the U.S. Chamber’s vice president for environment, technology and regulatory affairs, William Kovacs, clearly sums up their latest report on broadband deployment:
“An estimated $60 billion has been invested in broadband infrastructure by the communications industry this year. Given these turbulent economic times, federal policy must continue to support this high-level of investment. This will spur job growth, innovation, and consumer choice.”
The report, “Network Effects: An Introduction to Broadband Technology and Regulation,” accurately captures what NGW has been demonstrating all along - broadband is improving people’s lives and our nation’s economy. The robust and diverse private investment in our communications infrastructure has made a wide array of innovation and growth possible and must be allowed to continue to flourish.
Representing more than 3 million businesses from across the country, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, like NGW, recognizes the many pivotal ways broadband is moving our nation forward by helping businesses create jobs, enhancing educational opportunities and improving health care while controlling costs. Each of these benefits has a substantial impact on the health and strength of the U.S. economy.
The Chamber report recommends embracing public-private partnerships to promote broadband deployment, noting that our nation’s nearly 1,400 broadband providers have created strong and effective partnerships that have expanded access, particularly in rural areas.
The Chamber plans to release a series of broadband reports on telemedicine, education and people with disabilities in the year ahead. NGW looks forward to the findings of these studies and to keeping the conversation going and moving our broadband nation forward in 2009.
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The idea that “information technology has begun to transform anti-poverty efforts” as outlined in a Boston Globe column by Elaine Kamarck, of the Harvard Kennedy School of Government is an exciting and compelling reason to expand the reach of high-speed Internet. Internet providers have played a key role in this humanitarian work with the billions they invest annually in the infrastructure to make it possible.
Improving the efficiency and productivity of anti-poverty programs, broadband’s handprint on these efforts can be seen both at home in the U.S. and abroad. On the domestic front, Kamarck details the use of “smart cards” that were adapted by the food stamp program which offer electronic transfer technology to “streamline benefits and eliminate fraud. Computer matching programs have helped the Department of Housing and Urban Development handle housing assistance cases and while saving billions at the same time
In developing countries, the Internet is helping non-government organizations “bridge the social, economic, and physical isolation of the poor.” It is helping farmers connect directly with markets and eliminate middlemen that eat up revenue. In India, a program that provides Internet access via solar panels is helping them gain up-to-date weather and soil information to increase productivity.
These exciting benefits at home and internationally are in addition to the education, health care and economic benefits made possible by broadband that NGW promotes every day. We must ensure pro-investment policies continue so providers can continue to expand the broadband infrastructure that is fighting poverty worldwide.
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CBO Says Health IT Only Cost-Effective Solution To Healthcare Reform
Fierce Health IT
December 22, 2008
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Connecting The Medical Dots
The Washington Post
December 22, 2008
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Kentucky Miners Get Connected To Healthcare
Connect Kentucky Quarterly
December 2008
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Susan Patrick
President & CEO
International Association for K-12 Online Learning (INACOL)
As the President of the International Association for K-12 Online Learning (INACOL), I believe online learning is a powerful innovation that expands educational opportunities. Online learning is transforming the way students learn and leveling the playing field for students from diverse backgrounds.
Online learning benefits all types of students. Special learning needs or medical conditions often make it difficult for some students to learn in a traditional classroom setting but by learning online at home they can still keep up with their schoolwork. Other students benefit from a hybrid model where they go to class but that time is used differently to accelerate learning or receive more direct support in areas where they need help most. Using technology, students receive more customized learning and can advance through course levels at different rates to engage and better utilize time while meeting their individual learning needs.
These different learning models also create solutions where online learning can be applied to ensure students are maximizing their potential. Those who have fallen behind can recover credits online and advanced students can have broader access to advanced placement courses, more foreign languages, advanced science and math courses and other accelerated courses in a variety of subject areas. We believe that online learning is a viable option that allows every learner to achieve a quality education.
With broadband serving as the key enabler of a new, web-based delivery system, students across the country are gaining access to high quality teachers, anytime tutoring, high quality, multi-media learning resources and more customized, any pace learning models. As an international K-12 non-profit organization, we represent the interests of administrators, practitioners and students involved in online learning in the United States and abroad. Our mission is to ensure all students have access to a world-class education and quality online learning opportunities that prepare them for a lifetime of success.
Broadband plays a key role in the way online learning is fundamentally shifting what a world class education looks like. It is important every student has access to these exciting and transforming benefits of online education. For that to happen, it is important that the government to develop a national broadband strategy as well as maintain a proactive policy environment for private entities to encourage the investment of billions of dollars in a sophisticated, reliable national network.
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Regional Broadband Innovation (RBI) Summit & Expo
Santa Clara Convention Center
Santa Clara, CA
April 22, 2009
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Freedom to Connect
AFI Silver Theatre
8633 Colesville Road
Silver Spring MD
March 30-31, 2009
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Center for Strategic and International Studies
CBS News’ Bob Schieffer to Host event featuring Sam Nunn, George Schultz and David Sanger.
1800 K Street, NW
Washington DC
January 29, 2009
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State of the Net Conference
Hyatt Regency
400 New Jersey Avenue, NW
Washington, DC
January 13-14, 2009
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social networking