Broadband is so vital to overcoming many different challenges facing America today, a national broadband strategy that supports deployment throughout the country is not only recommended, but a necessity. That was the message at the National Broadband Strategy Symposium hosted by the Internet Innovation Alliance earlier this week.
The symposium brought together members of various industries that are utilizing broadband to improve the lives of Americans every day. Susan Patrick, President of the North American Council for Online Learning, discussed how broadband is fundamentally changing the way education is delivered to students across the globe. Students in rural areas and students with special learning needs now have access to education tailored to them, thanks to online learning. Broadband investment provides the infrastructure necessary to conduct classes online via video conferencing and for students to become more engaged by using new and exciting online learning applications for any subject matter. Following her presentation, NGW caught up with Susan to ask a few more questions and to discuss broadband’s potential to transform the way education is delivered in the 21st century.
Dr. Jay Sanders, President and CEO of the Global Telemedicine Group, spoke about telemedicine programs and how they are changing the way that health care is delivered. Thanks to broadband investment, we now have the ability to bring health care to the patient, instead of the patient having to travel to a doctor’s office or hospital. According to Dr. Sanders, telemedicine and remote monitoring offer the means for health care practitioners to collect much more accurate data, such as blood pressure in your every day setting or glucose levels immediately after you’ve eaten. Telemedicine also allows Americans to live independently later in life with home monitoring systems and prescription tracking. These options provide them the same quality care they would receive from an assisted living community, right from the comfort of their own home.
NGW also spoke with Kathy Johnson, Director of the Alabama Broadband Initiative. Kathy brought an interesting perspective on the issue, discussing what is being done in Alabama’s many rural areas to bring broadband to more people in order for them to benefit from life-enhancing applications, such as online learning, telemedicine, telecommuting and e-commerce. Broadband availability in a state like Alabama is particularly important for commercial purposes. Kathy pointed out that Alabama is home to manufacturing plants of four major auto makers. Without broadband investment, these companies would not have the means to communicate at the speed that business requires on a global scale. Thanks to broadband, economic opportunities are being created across the state that may otherwise not be there. Imagine the possibilities with a comprehensive national broadband strategy that supports investment and innovation throughout our country.
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August 19th, 2009 at 2:52 pm
[...] and inspirational stories on the future of education in a broadband world. We’ve talked with Susan Patrick of iNACOL, the national association serving the growing numbers of K-12 students learning online, and Ron [...]