Posts Tagged ‘High Speed Internet’

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Rural Communities Thrive with Internet Speed

Monday, November 2nd, 2009

When rural communities are connected to the rest of the world via high speed Internet, the community benefits, but so does the country. Speed Matters.org explains that because high speed Internet breaks down the barriers of distance and time, it allows residents of rural areas to participate in economic and civic life far beyond their geographic region. Communications made possible by broadband technology eliminates the logistical constraints of regionally-based business models, allowing businesses in isolated areas to compete with their big-city counterparts.

The Pew Internet & American Life Project has found that rural residents are much less likely to subscribe to broadband than their urban counterparts. Another study by Connected Nation found that 19% of rural residents say they don’t subscribe to broadband because it’s not available in their area.

Many residents aren’t aware of the enormous benefits of high speed Internet, which is why nearly half of rural residents without a home broadband connection say they don’t need it. 22 percent of rural residents say they don’t subscribe to broadband because it’s too expensive. Infrastructure investment in sparsely populated rural areas is often seen as unsustainable by telecommunications companies.

Here are some more benefits:
• Broadband brings the opportunity for direct access to education and health care for rural residents who are otherwise forced to travel long distances for college courses and medical treatment.
• Rural libraries with high speed Internet often experience a resurgence of community interest and participation.
• High speed Internet provides rural residents access to global information and cultural resources.
• Farmers gain real-time access to vital information such as crop prices or weather forecasts, and marketing opportunities through high-speed networks.

So support rural broadband initiatives and help build a better America with Internet speed!

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Libraries are for More than Books

Friday, October 30th, 2009

When libraries are connected to high speed Internet, the neighboring community benefits, Speed Matters.org tells us. Public libraries serve as gateways to information outside one’s own community, and in the Information Age this role has become even more important. Libraries give people without home computers free access to the Internet, helping America close the digital divide. As reliance upon public libraries to provide broadband telecommunications services for their community increases, it becomes essential to have universal high speed connectivity in libraries across the country.

Although the need for libraries to provide broadband access is increasing, many libraries are ill-equipped to meet this need. In 2006, 98% of public libraries indicated that they provided public access to the Internet, but in the same survey, 45% reported that they did not have sufficient bandwidth to satisfy their community’s needs. Libraries without enough bandwidth to quickly transfer data, images, and video put their communities at a serious disadvantage.

• Students use connected libraries to download educational videos, view course lectures, and access scholarly journals.
• Librarians use the Internet for business functions, such as running online catalogs, managing digitized content, and serving patrons through e-mail and online reference.
• Residents in underserved communities such as rural or low income areas where most homes lack access to high speed Internet rely on Internet connectivity from their local public library.
• As central public meeting spaces within communities, libraries connected to high speed Internet can serve as disaster response centers, such as during a flood, fire, or hurricane.
• Senior citizens, many of whom do not own home computers, find public libraries helpful for finding information on health issues or government programs, and maintaining connections with family and friends who live far away.
• Many libraries provide information literacy training that allows less tech-savvy individuals to engage the Internet in ways that otherwise wouldn’t.

So support your local library and national broadband initiatives!

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Public Safety with Internet Speed

Wednesday, October 28th, 2009

High-speed internet can be used to improve the responses of our public safety agencies! Speed Matters.org tells us that from emergency services to homeland security, high speed Internet technology can save countless lives. This can be done by enabling police, fire and emergency medical personnel to react to crises more quickly while facilitating cooperation among multiple safety agencies—something that was lacking after Hurricane Katrina and September 11th, 2001.

Here are some examples of what nationwide broadband can do:

• People who capture a digital photo or video of a crime, or a suspected missing child, could transmit that information to authorities in a timely way.
• Faster internet connections would let first responders receive area maps, or view how-to videos and share the info with numerous agencies simultaneously.
• Better and faster data can be sent to emergency rooms to help them prepare and give newly developed treatments.
• Fire commanders can direct their units using voice, video and data-enhanced communications at an emergency scene or from a remote location.
• Law enforcement personnel can rapidly send video and data to police command centers to monitoring officers or suspects in high-risk situations.
• Broadband facilitates biometrics screening - the measurement of personally identifiable physical characteristics like fingerprints or retinas - at entry points into a country or a sensitive facility, and enhances remote surveillance of borders, airports, ports, train stations, and government buildings.
• In the event of damage or destruction to vital government office space, high speed Internet can restore government services by enabling public officials and their staff to work remotely.

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Improving School with Internet Speed

Monday, October 26th, 2009

School needs to teach kids how to live in the world, and having access to high-speed internet makes it possible—and better in so many ways.  Information from Speed Matters.org, told us how.

Having access to high speed internet has the power to enhance every level of education. Even kindergarteners need internet exposure these days, and all grade levels through high school to college to graduate school can make the most of the knowledge available to improve their education and schoolwork. With all the advances in information and communications technology since most of us were in school, education is no longer confined to the classroom. For example, virtual field trips take students on tours of faraway places such as to our nation’s capitol and the streets of foreign cities, or even to the depths of oceans and to the far reaches of outer space…with internet speed.
Imagine utilizing new broadband-enabled educational tools for remote collaboration among fellow students on projects, videoconferences with teachers, access to education specialists and access to resources school libraries remotely, including digital videos and high-volume data files. The educational advantages possible with high speed Internet are indispensable to students preparing to enter the 21st Century workforce. Students with limited or no access in their formative elementary school years are certain to fall behind. Computer skills must go beyond technical competency, to include higher-level skills such as critical thinking and problem solving as well as the creative use of technology. The earlier every student in America is connected to high speed Internet, the brighter our country’s future will be.

Students with little exposure to digital technologies translate to adults with limited career opportunities. Workers lacking technological versatility put the American workforce at a competitive disadvantage within the world economy.

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Health Care and High Speeds

Friday, October 23rd, 2009

It’s what you might call a “no-brainer”–and that’s not a medical term–to see how high-speed internet can help improve health care.  Information from Speed Matters.org, spelled it out for us thusly.

The potential for using high speed Internet technology to help expand access and improve the quality of health care in the United States is enormous. The use of advanced communications technology to transmit medical data and imaging in real-time, while linking patients to providers for direct consultation, can transcend geographic barriers to allow people to receive the medical care they need when and where it’s needed.

Especially in the face of rising medical costs and increasing gaps in insurance coverage, the cost-cutting efficiencies of telemedicine-–the delivery of quality health-related services and information using telecommunications technologies–are more valuable than ever. Universal high speed Internet access would help bring the prospect of affordable and quality health care for all Americans closer to reality.

Some of the benefits include:

• Real-time transmission of medical imagery–enabling the interpretation of MRI, ultrasound, X-rays, and other diagnostic procedures from afar.
• A reduction in the number of strenuous patient transfers, like from a nursing home to a doctor’s office, or for expectant mothers seeking prenatal care from a distant hospital. Remote monitoring and online consultations only possible through a high speed Internet connection can close the distance.
• A study from the University of Texas Medical Branch estimates that the U.S. health care system can save $4.28 billion from the elimination of patient transfers alone. This doesn’t even include potential savings from remote monitoring or interpretative services.
• Physicians can connect with distant specialists for real-time guidance in emergency situations—like during long ambulance rides when seconds count, or during a stroke or heart attack.

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Internet Speed and the Environment

Wednesday, October 21st, 2009

Is it possible that high-speed internet can offer environmental benefits too?  Information from Speed Matters.org, says it can. According to them, broadband reduces our carbon footprint while promising substantial economic pay-offs. So by including universally accessible, high speed Internet as an essential part of our energy plan, the United States can build a green economy, greatly reduce energy use and greenhouse gas emissions, and spur economic growth by creating new environmental jobs. Sounds good right? 

But sadly, although the U.S. consumes more energy than any other country, we trail behind many industrialized nations in broadband penetration. As one of the world’s biggest polluters, the environmental benefits of high-speed Internet are yet to be tapped, since about  20 million Americans (6-8 million households) currently lack access to broadband and millions more are priced out of the market.

Here are some ways internet speed can make a difference:

• By reducing carbon intensive activities and replacing them with carbon-neutral alternatives—like telemedicine, long-distance and business communication programs, and e-commerce.
The Climate Group has found that broadband-enabled travel substitution could save $20–40 billion annually in gross fuel savings in the U.S. by 2020.

• Smart meters, smart buildings, and smart grids built with high speed Internet capabilities can increase control over home and building energy consumption, reducing energy use and cost.
The Climate Group also has found that a national smart grid could reduce carbon dioxide emissions in America by 230- 480 million metric tons per year by 2020.

• A study by the American Consumer Institute found that the U.S. could achieve a net reduction of 1 billion tons of greenhouse gas over 10 years! That’s a savings of the equivalent of 11 percent of annual U.S. oil imports if we invested in broadband-enabled energy efficiency.

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Empowering the Differently Abled with Internet Speed

Monday, October 19th, 2009

One of the ways that universal access to high-speed internet can benefit society even more is by reducing the restrictions on people with disabilities so that they can contribute more to society. With information from Speed Matters.org , here’s how broadband helps connect the differently-abled with the rest of the world.

According to the 2008 U.S. Census, 50 million Americans have some kind of disability. While these people can greatly benefit from universally accessible broadband, we all benefit from their increased participation.

Studies show that Americans with disabilities currently use the Internet approximately half as much as those without disabilities–in both urban and rural environments. 60% of working-age people with disabilities are unemployed or underemployed. Those without high speed Internet access at home are forced to use a public computer, which means contending with transportation challenges and being limited by inaccessible locations, so affordable, universal access to broadband at home is crucial.

High speed Internet empowers people with disabilities to become more independent. An Internet connection with enough speed to allow two-way voice, data and video transfer can remove barriers that keep people with disabilities from participating in everyday activities such as employment, education, civic responsibilities and social connection.

With good internet speed:
• people with physical disabilities can attend classes remotely, have online medical consultations with faraway specialists, or apply for and secure jobs, without unnecessary or difficult commutes or trips.
• visually impaired people can use programs that read text and describe visual contents aloud in a synthetic voice to search the Internet, understand videos, and communicate online.
• deaf and hard of hearing people can use video relay services (VRS), which require high speed Internet to run, allowing them to have phone conversations in their native sign language by means of an online interpreter.

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Growing Jobs and the Economy with Internet Speed

Friday, October 16th, 2009

If you’re reading this, you probably already know that access to high-speed internet is good and important. But now we need to convince the powers-that-be that it’s not a luxury, but a necessary foundation for economic success.  With information from Speed Matters.org , here’s how broadband helps economic growth and the creation of jobs.

Studies show that each additional $5 billion investment in broadband creates 250,000 jobs. Of those, 100,000 are direct and indirect jobs from telecom and IT equipment spending. The other 150,000 jobs come from “network effects” spurring new online applications and services.

With every percentage point increase in broadband penetration, employment expands by nearly 300,000 jobs, and jobs involved in the building and expansion of broadband networks pay 42 percent more than the average for manufacturing jobs in America.

From 1998 to 2002, employment in communities with broadband grew 1 percentage point more than in communities without it. This is because broadband networks attract investment to areas that would not otherwise be viable to many businesses such as rural areas and inner-city regions.

In addition, the expansion of energy efficient smart grids, which high speed communications are an integral part of, is expected to dramatically improve economic growth and provide thousands of new quality U.S. jobs.

America has fallen behind other nations in creating communications policies that effectively facilitate job growth and business advancement. The longer the U.S. waits to expand access to affordable broadband, the longer our economy will miss out on the enormous advantages of a connected country.

In the new global economy, access to broadband has become as essential to individual and community economic prosperity as electricity and roads, providing new opportunities for innovation, expansion and e-commerce. All Americans stand to benefit economically from a national high speed Internet network.

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Government Participation with Internet Speed

Wednesday, October 14th, 2009

Continuing with the reasons that Americans need access to high-speed internet, we’ll look at some of the benefits to government participation–with information from Speed Matters.org .

If Barack Obama’s presidential campaign taught us anything, it’s that utilizing the internet to connect with people really works. He’s carried this into his presidency, but other branches of government have yet to catch on. Broader access to high speed Internet connections could allow citizens to participate in civic life more fully, interacting with government agencies with greater ease.

Although e-government solutions wouldn’t replace the quality of services delivered in-person by skilled government employees, especially to vulnerable populations, high speed Internet enhances public employees’ abilities to supplement these services. As federal, state and local governments increasingly rely on the Internet to provide information, forms and services for various government programs, the need for universal, affordable access grows. And with civic participation only a click away, high speed Internet can lower the barrier between citizens and their elected representatives.

Benefits include:
• Government forms can be completed online
• Web sites open 24 hours a day are faster, cheaper and consume fewer resources than hard copies delivered through regular mail.
• High speed Internet allows a wide range of government services to be completed  electronically including business filings, review of Medicare prescription drug options, and real-time web public transit updates.
• The rapid download of video and data lets citizens tap countless resources on government and political issues.
• High speed Internet allows citizens to communicate with their elected officials, other candidates  or like-minded individuals to organize politically, participate in online campaigns, and make their voices heard via e-mail, online petitions, social networks and video streaming.

The possibilities are endless!

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Distance Learning Made Possible with Internet Speed

Monday, October 12th, 2009

Continuing with the reasons that Americans need access to high-speed internet, we’ll look at some of the benefits that distance learning offers–with information from Speed Matters.org .

Distance learning is basically the ability to take courses over the internet. It’s the modern equivalent of the correspondence course, and many traditional universities are now offering distance degree programs, which may or may not involve ever appearing in person. This allows adults to gain training that could allow them to move beyond entry-level jobs–whether through getting a college degree online or completing an online worker training program. People who are already working full-time or don’t have the funds or time to attend classes in person can learn online at their own pace and often for less money.

Distance learning allows industry specialists in remote areas to impart their knowledge to wider audiences via online courses. Online courses often include e-mail and teleconferencing between students and teachers—even two-way video conferencing. Research projects can be done between students who never meet in person. Research shows that over 80 percent of students in U.S. colleges and universities live off campus anyway, as do the vast majority of students in secondary and continuing education programs. They need access to the information that is available off-campus, and high speed internet makes it possible.

Educational content with audio, graphics and video can only be effectively delivered by high speed
Internet, which many adults still do not have access to—either at home, in local libraries or even internet cafés. If all Americans had access to broadband connections, it would be possible to be educated with internet speed!

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