IfG.CC - The Institute for eGovernment

The Massachusetts Broadband Institute on Wednesday night outlined its vision for "connecting the unconnected" and fielded questions from more than 40 residents during a public meeting at Nessacus Regional Middle School.

"Ultimately, this is to encourage economic growth," said MBI director Judy Dumont. "This wasn’t a ‘nice to have’ for the region -- this was a basic resource that didn’t exist."

That was the message delivered yesterday by local business leaders, area technology experts and even a top Federal Communications Commission official during a broadband summit at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

To maintain its standing as a technology leader in the world, the United States must develop a strong broadband network that is available to all residents, FCC Commissioner Michael Copps said.

The next step is to form a non-profit to plan and build a fiber optic network in all the region's unserved or underserved towns.

And with all 47 towns on board, the real work begins in earnest, with no delay.

Hoping to hit the jackpot, Minnesota counties, schools and telephone companies are dreaming big as they seek some of the billions the federal government will give out for high-speed Internet projects by September.

About $100,000 in grant funding is available.

The money comes from the C.K. Blandin Foundation’s Minnesota Intelligent Rural Communities program and was allocated by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s NTIA Broadband Technologies Opportunities Program.

For most of west central Minnesota, this is not a good thing.

A report issued Friday states that Minnesota needs to make significant improvements in order to meet a goal of statewide high-speed broadband access by 2015.

The technology is not only critical to economic development efforts, but also important in establishing a higher quality of life for many Minnesotans.

A nod to the value of the technology was given by the Minnesota Legislature and Gov. Tim Pawlenty in April when a bill was approved that requires the state to bring high-speed Internet access to all Minnesota businesses and residences by 2015. Wisely, the bill also calls for an annual report on progress made toward attaining the goal.

Advanced information technology applications are necessary to connect Delta residents to the knowledge-based economy. Proper deployment of the technology resources now available will allow us to bring world-class education, health services, employment opportunities and business opportunities to even the smallest communities in our region. Those who make policy at the local, state and federal levels would never consider preventing people's access to highways. By the same token, we shouldn't hinder access to the information highway.

Google's Request for Information sent in February also prompted some bizarre stunts from elected officials to help their chances of luring a free network that would increase Internet speed 100-fold. Topeka changed its name to Google for a day, one mayor in Minnesota jumped into ice-cold Lake Superior to get the company's attention and another in Florida jumped into a pool full of sharks.

Rich Hood, plant operations manager for Project Telephone said “One thing we’re really excited about, and I know that the Crow Tribe is, too, is it will bring capability to the reservation that they’ve never had before,” he also added that  “The intention is that it will spur economic activity on the reservation and give everybody there access to Internet capability to allow them to do things urban people have been able to do for a long time.”

Just as railroads and the interstate highway system are central to transportation and commerce, the Internet has grown to be vitally important to economic development and the prosperity of families and businesses in Maine and across America. Unlike railroads and the interstate, there is no speed limit on the Internet superhighway. And people and businesses that are unable to take full advantage of the mind-numbing speed of the Internet are at a distinct disadvantage to those who can.

For all of these reasons, broadband wireless networks should be developed as public utilities - not through contracts with communications giants such as America Online or SBC Communications, which simply want to create new monopolies where they can squeeze consumers.

That's 100 times faster than what most Americans receive, according to Google, which seeks requests for information (RFI) from interested local governments by March 26. "We'll offer service at a competitive price to at least 50,000 and potentially up to 500,000 people," Google said in a blog post.

But we’re not going to let that stop us from adding one more thing for either President McCain or President Obama to tackle next January: a national broadband policy.

This thoughtful and comprehensive national broadband plan will create thousands, if not millions, of jobs — propelling the United States back to the forefront of innovation. Communications networks for businesses — like Interstate highways — mean little, however, if people cannot access them. It may seem counterintuitive, but in our country, there are more wires into the average home than into the average business.

How can we not see, and surely embrace, the positive effects such a plan could have on an energy consuming U.S. thereby creating an energy saving global leader and economic powerhouse with continued and sustained broadband proliferation? It sets before us, waiting to be reviewed and accepted, with its pure intentions of common sense logic. But little has been said or debated, in suggesting that such a direction could save the U.S. economy $billions, while creating tremendous job growth and reviving our economic conundrum.