Several new electoral trends emerged during the recent presidential election that accounted for Barack Obama’s victory and his nomination as the 44th president of the United States. This historic victory was the result of several different factors, not the least of which was the role that technology played throughout the election cycle. The Obama campaign harnessed the power of broadband unlike anything the political world had ever seen.

This morning National Journal and Powell Tate hosted a discussion with some of the leading journalists and pollsters who covered the race from start to finish. It was a dynamic, substantive and at times light-hearted discussion on the Obama victory and what it means for the American political landscape.

Be sure to check back soon for exclusive NextGenWeb video footage of the event as well as more live streams that deliver democracy right to your doorstep – or laptop. That’s the power of broadband.

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It feels like every day we’re reminded of how broadband access can significantly improve the lives of individual Americans — and quite frankly our planet.

The latest news is a study by the Global e-Sustainability Initiative (GeSI), which finds that broadband technology can substantially impact our environment, our economy and our nation’s security. How? By helping to cut carbon emissions, boosting the economy and reducing our reliance on foreign oil.

The GeSI study, “SMART 2020: Enabling the Low Carbon Economy in the Information Age,” outlines the specifics of how information and communications technology can enable a significant reduction in carbon emissions in the United States through 2020. Equally important, it shows how this can happen without diminishing our quality of life.

The study shows that information and communications technologies, including broadband, could cut annual CO2 emissions in the United States between 13 and 22 percent through 2020. That equals savings in fuel and energy costs of between $140 billion and $240 billion. That could mean reducing our total oil consumption between 11 and 21 percent and our imports of foreign oil between 20 and 36 percent.

Of course, broadband isn’t the only player in these stunning predictions. But it is a foundational technology that enables other contributions, such as smart electrical grids, better designed transportation systems, smart buildings and travel substitution (bringing the work to the employee rather than the employee to the work).

We continue to build a vast arsenal of concrete evidence of the advantages of broadband access. It is a compelling case that our nation’s leaders cannot ignore. But of course, broadband technology cannot help when it isn’t ubiquitous. Our public policies must encourage investments that build this broadband foundation throughout the country.

If broadband is the base of a pyramid, then this GeSI study adds one more layer, one more innovative solution to our nation’s most pressing challenges.

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This week NextGenWeb attended a panel hosted by the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation on “The Impact of IT on Energy.” The room was filled with leaders from H-P, Cisco, AT&T, Verizon and Dell. We heard about the energy challenge. But today’s talk was different because a solution was offered — and its name is broadband.

A comprehensive energy plan accounts for more than broadband. But it’s worth noting everyday examples of how broadband can help. Take music. Downloads from high-speed Internet connections cut back on the energy used in the shipping and production of CDs €”not to mention the gas guzzled to drive to a local record store (remember those?). On the work front, video conferencing allows for reduced energy consumption and travel costs. There’s also a push underway to create Smart Grids, which allow you to monitor and adjust your home energy consumption throughout the day. If you live in Austin, Texas, wouldn’t it be cool (no pun intended) if your air conditioner told you when it needed to run, reducing waste and your energy bill?

These solutions aren’t concepts, they’re choices that are possible today, and they all stem from broadband. It’s just one more way this exciting technology is offering innovative solutions to some of our nation’s most pressing challenges €”so long as we have policies that continue to encourage robust investment in this essential modern infrastructure.

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Latino Leaders Network Luncheon: honoring Henry Bonilla and Lionel Sosa with featured guests Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison and Congressman Luis Fortuño

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Nextgenweb recently caught up with Matt Britten, winner of a MySpace online video competition that awarded him full media credentials throughout the DNC 2008 Convention. Matt came to Denver—traveling all the way from New York City €”hoping to be able to utilize new technologies, made possible by broadband, to tell the story of the convention from a personal perspective and put a new spin on “interactive media.” From MySpace to Twitter to Newsvine, technology and the Internet have enabled Matt to accomplish these goals and bring the convention to life from the point of view of a true “Citizen Journalist.”

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