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The Muni-Broadband Promise:
Connecting Broadband with Economic Development
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Cities of the past were built along waterways, then
highways...today, with information highways...Cities
that don't have these broadband infrastructures of our
time will atrophy and die. They will be cut off
from the mainstream.
Chartered in August 2000 by the North Carolina General
Assembly, the e-NC was formed as a grassroots initiative
to link all North Carolinians - especially those in
rural areas - to the Internet. Since providing
close to $20 million in grant funding, the e-NC has made
high-speed Internet accessible to 82% of all households
in North Carolina The Colorado Beanpole Project,
started in 2000, was a state-wide initiative to pool
government resources together in the form of grant
monies and "anchor tenancy" to provide a market
incentive for service providers to build out enhanced
telecommunications services to underserved rural areas.
Building public sector
(municipal, fire/police, educational) networks is coming
to the forefront as a method for fostering economic
development throughout the community. However, it
is often hard to correlate the role that the information
highways of today play a role in creating meaningful
jobs, enhanced education and world class healthcare.
This session will not only outline the benefits of the
information highway; it will validate the impact of
municipal broadband initiatives on economic development
and job growth. |
