IIA Video: Joseph Fuhr

By IIA

Joseph Fuhr, Professor of Economics at Widener University, discusses broadband, the macro-economy, and the multiplier effect.

The Power of Language

By Brad

Today’s New York Times looks at the expansion of broadband on language education services:

With the growth of broadband connectivity and social networks, companies have introduced a wide range of Internet-based language learning products, both free and fee-based, that allow students to interact in real time with instructors in other countries, gain access to their lesson plans wherever they are in the world, and communicate with like-minded virtual pen pals who are also trying to remember if bambino means baby.

IIA in the News: Fox 11 LA Talks with David Sutphen

By IIA

IIA CES Blog Contest Winner Steven

By IIA

Dispatches from CES (Day 4)

By IIA

As part of IIA’s involvement in CES, we’re asking attendees to write about what broadband access means to their daily lives. Throughout the convention, we’ll be posting some the responses we receive

I use broadband all the time. It’s important to me in the instance of being my daily internet source. Being a Swede, I’m used to fast broadband internet. I have, for example, experienced the world’s fastest broadband internet; Swedish Telia, during the world’s biggest computer festival,  Dreamhack. Dreamhack is an event like nothing else: seeing more than 12.000 gamers being connected at the same time to different online games is really awe-inspiring.

Having a fast internet connection makes a big difference! I love broadband because it never lets me down. My household in Sweden has a broadband connection with 100 Mb/s via fiber optic cable. When I first got this a few years ago I was shocked: I had never experienced anything like it! It was fast, it delivered every time, it almost never froze (if it did it, the connection probably wasn’t the problem… darn computer!), and it made it so much easier for me to keep contact with family members across the world. I could finally talk to my sister, who lived in New Zealand at the time, without all problems I had before. This broadband still helps me out every time I talk to my family home in Sweden, something I didn’t think about before I left for my exchange-student year, but something I am very grateful for now.

I look forward to see future improvements in the broadband technology. It’s not because I want it to get better, for it is already great, but merely because of the fact that I want to see how fast a private household connection via broadband can get. I have both high hopes and high expectations for its future.

— Carl

I use broadband Internet a lot. I use it to talk to my friends and family through Skype. Sometimes I play games over the Internet, or I just watch some movies, etc. .. I use it really often.  In my opinion it is really important to invest to make a better coverage with broadband internet etc. because it makes lots of things really faster and more simple. Like for example I am from Slovakia and there is quite problem to get a fast Internet in some small towns (villages). Now in this time, almost everybody has a computer and I can’t imagine to use it without broadband Internet connection.

— Marek

At the moment I am an exchange student in Las Vegas. Here we have an awesome Internet connection with broadband. Where I cmole from in Germany, our connection is not the best, but still pretty good. But it cannot reach the broadband Internet I am used to since I am living here. Everything is way faster, so that you can upload new pictures to Facebook, while you are skype with friends on the other side of the world. It makes it comfortable and does not stress you out. Another thing for which you can use it is for the online gaming. BWA makes World of Warcraft or similar games way more fun to play.

To invest in broadband, in my opinion, very important, because Internet is the connection of the future and with broadband, it does not matter if your friend lives next door or on another continent. It just connects, wherever you are. That’s why I would support bringing broadband to every corner of the earth. Everyone should have the possibility to enjoy it J.

I think I couldn’t live without broadband anymore because it really makes using the Internet so much easier and faster. If I wouldn’t have it, I think I would feel back in time.

— Robert H.

Dispatches from CES (Day 2)

By IIA

As part of IIA’s involvement in CES, we’re asking attendees to write about what broadband access means to their daily lives. Throughout the convention, we’ll be posting some the responses we receive

I remember when I saw the first commercial for “broadband” high-speed Internet. All I actually remember about it was there was something about football players and watching them online. I can’t say that back then I honestly knew what broadband was, but I did know what the Internet was and was a daily user. I remember having to unplug the phone jack from the wall and physically switch from the telephone to the Internet. Then we waited. “Weeeee wahhh weeee wahhh bussssssssh kaack akck meeeeeeeeeeppppp brrauuunnnt.” We would make my mom so mad because she would be expecting a call and we would be playing some laggy video game on our sweet dial-up connection. Even at a younger age, I was completely aware and annoyed by the speed, or lack thereof, and inconvenience of my families dial up connection.
In 2000 my father became the editor of a small town weekly newspaper in very rural Arkansas. From the day he started until December 2009 he had been operating an entire newspaper using a dial-up connection. It is all he had so he made it work. Me seeing this from a “High Flyer” in the broadband community, I had always found it extremely frustrating to watch him work the way he did when I knew that just by having a broadband connection it would change his paper completely. Just having the option. After asking questions I found that the reason he didn’t have a broadband connection was that the company he works for didn’t want to pay to have someone drive out to rural Arkansas to install it. That’s it — just to install it. Finally, this December his new publisher took a trip to visit the Newton County Times and realized what he had accomplished without a broadband connection. Within one full business day the new publisher had broadband Internet and office telephones installed in the office. He was blown away that this paper was being put together without a broadband connection.
The sad thing to me is that he is the only office in the area with broadband. I can only imagine how the lives of those people would change if they too had the world at their finger tips. I personally spend at least 12 hours online. My life almost depends on some kind of connection. Having the ability to access any information at anytime is no longer “cool” it is necessary for me to accomplish some of the most important tasks of my daily life. I think there should be some incentive towards getting broadband into more rural areas it’s not fair that our lives are easier and they can’t even get anyone to come to their home and install the internet.

— Anne

As a full time telecommuter I would not be able to function without broadband. I communicate regularly using an IP Phone, web presentations and web video to clients across the country and Europe. Sending large presentations would not be efficient nor possible without broadband. Personally, I like the access that broadband gives me to watch video and listen to music streaming from my home server to my phone and computer no matter where I am located. 
— JW Hunt

The Internet has accelerated both the business and social worlds. Technology is making human organization and collaboration much easier and cheaper. From the millions of people keeping in touch with friends on Facebook to the masses using Google applications, it’s clear our future is online. The US government has used the web to make our government more transparent and share it’s wealth of knowledge and data. People can file their taxes instantly.

However, not everyone has access to these tools, and so organizations and government must hold on to the more expensive and slower means of mass communication. If broadband Internet access were treated as a human right, we could leave this old technology behind and greatly simplify our organization as a society. Everyone could have the same instant access to emerging online education programs, enormous libraries of public domain books and films, and a wealth of open source creativity software.

Despite its ubiquity, the Internet is still in its youth. We’ve barely scratched the surface of its capabilities, and as it continues to grow we have seen that there’s no end to the possibilities. But as it grows, we’ll need to be able to transmit more information at a higher rate. Without the government’s support of a new broadband infrastructure, the rate of public innovation will be held back. It’s clear that our future is in the free exchange of information, so our time and resources need to be allocated accordingly.

— Charlie

Dispatches from CES — Day 1 Blog Winner!

By IIA

As part of IIA’s involvement in CES, we’re asking attendees to write about what broadband access means to their daily lives. Throughout the convention, we’ll be posting some the responses we receive.

Aditya Saraf was yesterday’s winner in our Broadband Blog contest at Supercomm. For the winning entry, Aditya received an iPod!

Here’s Aditya’s entry:

More than the technology aspect what broadband means to me is that I am CONNECTED — with family, with friends, with office. It is extremely important in today’s world to be connected ANYWHERE ANYTIME, to have information available ANYWHERE ANYTIME.

As business people we all know the importance of having information available to us all the time, whether it is the latest stock information, who bought whom. And this can no better be understood than by a farmer in a remote village in Uttar Pradesh in India, who can check weather forecasts to determine the correct time to sow, can check prices of foodgrains and can even connect to buyers.

Broadband connectivity can change the way we lead our lives. It is not about technology only, it is about how it brings people across the world closer.

— Aditya

Dispatches from CES (Day 1)

By IIA

As part of IIA’s involvement in the Consumer Electronics Show, we’re asking attendees to write about what broadband access means to their daily lives. Throughout the convention, we’ll be posting some the responses we receive.

Everyone should have access to broadband. In this day and age, everyone gets email, surfs the web, etc. This is extremely time consuming on dial-up. I, personally was able to get broadband about a year ago. It definitely has made my web experience much better.

— Steve

What I think about broadband is that it is a faster way of using Internet and getting to know what I can do with it. If I had it I would use it because it is faster and easier to use than my type of Internet.

— James

Rural communities aren’t any different in their need for broadband — but with even greater need. Broadband equalizes the economic playing field. Why are the urban dwellers afraid of us rural geeks?

— Anonymous

More than the technology aspect what broadband means to me is that I am CONNECTED — with family, with friends, with office. It is extremely important in today’s world to be connected ANYWHERE ANYTIME, to have information available ANYWHERE ANYTIME.

As business people we all know the importance of having information available to us all the time, whether it is the latest stock information, who bought whom. And this can no better be understood than by a farmer in a remote village in Uttar Pradesh in India, who can check weather forecasts to determine the correct time to sow, can check prices of foodgrains and can even connect to buyers.

Broadband connectivity can change the way we lead our lives. It is not about technology only, it is about how it brings people across the world closer.

— Aditya

The Need for Smart Networks

By Brad

Over at App-Rising, Geoff Daily has a smart piece on the need for smart networks and net neutrality:

While I don’t disagree with the notion that we need to be encouraging the deployment of more open bandwidth, I don’t understand why we’d want to prevent innovation from happening within the network, why we’d rule out the possible benefits of smart networks over stupid networks. Why can’t there be a fast lane created for performance-sensitive applications that was open to everyone equally?

Don’t get me wrong, the advent of smart networks raises a host of questions about fairness, privacy, competition, and beyond. But I’ve come to think that this militant attitude towards opposing smart networks is actually the Achilles’ heel of the net neutrality movement.

I just don’t think its credible to suggest that we should be preventing innovation from happening anywhere on the Internet. I’m not even sure we can say that innovation at the edge is more important than innovation in the network. The point is that we shouldn’t be limiting ourselves.

Check out the whole thing.

IIA Video: Matt Rogers Speaks at Grid Week

By IIA

Matt Rogers, Senior Advisor at the United States Department of Energy, talks about the role of broadband in job creation and economic revitalization.

Broadband Fact of the Week

By IIA

According to Bernstein Research analyst Craig Moffett, the cable industry is outgrowing the wireless industry. Subscriber growth in the wireless industry over the last 12 months is up 5.3%, but revenue per subscriber is down 1.7%, producing just 3.6% revenue growth. The cable industry, by contrast, grew revenue per sub 4.1% over the same time period and total industry growth was 5.3%.

Eric Savitz, “Cable Vs. Wireless: Guess Which Is Growing Faster?” Barron’s. August 23, 2009.

More facts about broadband.

IIA Video: Making the Grid Smart

By IIA

At last month’s Grid Week event, U.S. Chief Technology Officer Aneesh Chopra spoke about broadband and making America’s grid “smart,” the need to encourage private investment to make the change happen, and the Obama administration’s “innovation strategy.”

Staying Connected From the Front

By Brad

FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski recently visited American troops in the Gulf, and as a post on broadband.gov shows, the trip helped drive home for him the importance of broadband to military personnel:

While at the Base, I was able to see firsthand the importance of broadband connectivity in the daily lives of our troops. I visited the Base’s innovative education and online learning center, where troops can work towards college degree and other continuing education. I spoke with an expert working to place military medical records online, with the potential of real life-saving benefits to soldiers. And I spoke with troops at the Base’s recreational plaza, where WiFi access lets them keep in touch with families and friends through VoIP and social networking tools. There was a consistent and strong feeling that Internet access was a major plus for troop morale.

The Changing TV Landscape

By Brad

GigaOm wonders if Apple is poised to turn the cable industry on its head:

For months now, Apple has been rumored to have its eyes on a new type of iTunes TV subscription offering — and we may be on the verge of seeing this potentially disruptive idea come to fruition. Multiple sources have confirmed that Apple has been pitching TV networks to support a monthly subscription service that would deliver television programs via iTunes for fees far lower than $85-plus monthly cable bills.

Meanwhile, all signs point to Comcast buying NBC/Universal from General Electric. Via the New York Times:

After a series of meetings last week, the two companies reached a tentative agreement on Friday over the main points of a deal, these people said. Comcast would own about 51 percent of NBC Universal, contributing several billions of dollars in cash and its own stable of cable networks to the new venture.

After years of talk and theorizing, the proliferation of broadband into homes is revolutionizing entertainment. Let’s hope networks can keep up with the coming surge in demand.

Broadband Fact of the Week

By IIA

From the vantage point of 2008, the 94 percent of U.S. schools with Internet access use almost exclusively broadband connections, but residentially-based broadband in rural areas continues to lag the availability in metropolitan regions.

Robert LaRose et. al., “Closing the Rural Broadband Gap,” Department of Telecommunication, Information Studies, and Media, Michigan State University. November 30, 2008.

More facts about broadband.

Dispatches from Supercomm — Day 3 Blog Winner!

By IIA

As part of IIA’s involvement in Supercomm, we’re asking attendees to write about what broadband access means to their daily lives. Throughout the convention, we’ll be posting some the responses we receive.

James Stanger was yesterday’s winner in our Broadband Blog contest at Supercomm. For his winning entry, he received an iPod!

Here’s James’s entry:

Broadband is important to me mainly because it allows me to help others. I’ve traveled from Boston to Beijing, from Grants Pass (a little town in the southern part of Oregon that no one has ever heard of) to Glasgow helping individuals build careers.

Yet it’s through broadband that I’ve really been able to impact people’s lives. Without broadband, we wouldn’t have the innovations in social networking, video and technology that have given people true quality of life in this increasingly complex, yet shrinking world.

A couple of weeks ago, I was able to talk via Skype to a Web designer who first gained interest in his profession through a course I helped develop. He told me about how he was able to get a new job because he had grown his skills, and thanked me for helping him pursue his dreams. Without broadband, I would never be able to keep in touch with him. I never would have been able to participate in his training. In fact, he wouldn’t even have his profession if broadband technologies never existed.

— James

Congratulations to James! And thank to everyone who submitted blog posts and visited the IIA booth at Supercomm.

Dispatches from Supercomm (Day 3)

By IIA

As part of IIA’s involvement in Supercomm, we’re asking attendees to write about what broadband access means to their daily lives. Throughout the convention, we’ll be posting some the responses we receive.

Broadband is really important today for relationships, and for every kind of job that you do. It allows comunication for people in different countries in few seconds permitting to save time and money, This is really good for global economy and its development!
For example, I’m Italian and I live in the countryside. I’m working on a project to build an agritourism in Umbria. In Europe we are trying to increase the number of people who live in the country because there are too many citizens in the cities. The development of broadband in the rural areas will surely help the farmers and it will increase the level of culture.

— Lorenzo

Hard to imagine a life today without the Internet. For me the Internet enables me to communicate with family and friends, manage finances and my business, and look for the next innovations in business. It also serves as my entertainment source due to the availability of streaming video/audio sources at a fixed cost point monthly. More importantly, broadband is a core component and function that is imperative to the daily operations of my business and my customers. It would be impossible to compete and run a thriving technology company without it.

The power of the Internet in today’s world is also expanding at a pace that hasn’t been seen. The Internet enables people to have a wealth of information at their fingertips at a fraction of the cost and within a fraction of time. The next generation of children will be a more educated, intellectual group of consumers and citizens who see the value of history, data and information at light speed! The Internet evolution and the impact on the global economy and world population will be unprecedented.

— Mike

More than the technology aspect, what broadband means to me is that I am connected with family, with friends, and with office. It is extremely important in today’s world to be connected anywhere, anytime. To have information available anywhere, anytime.

As business people we all know the importance of having information available to us all the time, whether it is the latest stock information. This can not be better understood than by a farmer in a remote village in Uttar Pradesh in India, who can check weather forecasts to determine the correct time to sow, the prices of foodgrains, and even connect to buyers.

Broadband connectivity can change the way we lead our lives. It is not about technology only, it is about how it brings people across the world closer.

— Aditaya

To me, the purpose of broadband is to connect. We are not an isolated island any more. We are a community — not necessarily physical, but virtually. We can connect and share with friends, relatives, or strangers and find common interest not only with voice, but more. We need to give this current technology to all people and to share the benefit to all.

— Ren

It’s important to have broadband’ rural communities for invite files and for connect with other community’s people.

For me, broadband investment is vital because broadband is the future. I can’t live without broadband because it allows me to connect with people both for work and pleasure.

— Ludovica

Broadband is important to me mainly because it allows me to help others. I’ve traveled from Boston to Beijing, from Grants Pass (a little town in the southern part of Oregon that no one has ever heard of) to Glasgow helping individuals build careers.

Yet it’s through broadband that I’ve really been able to impact people’s lives. Without broadband, we wouldn’t have the innovations in social networking, video and technology that have given people true quality of life in this increasingly complex, yet shrinking world.

A couple of weeks ago, I was able to talk via Skype to a Web designer who first gained interest in his profession through a course I helped develop. He told me about how he was able to get a new job because he had grown his skills, and thanked me for helping him pursue his dreams. Without broadband, I would never be able to keep in touch with him. I never would have been able to participate in his training. In fact, he wouldn’t even have his profession if broadband technologies never existed.

— James

As the Director of Marketing for the world’s leading certification program in web and internet technologies using broadband is absolutely essential.  CIW (Certified Internet Web Professional) is for professionals who use the internet to grow their business, buy products /services, and even develop systems in the healthcare field to actually save lives. Using the “pipe” will connect them to the world in ways never before possible.
I use broadband to spread our message and communicate our program to people almost everywhere. Unfortunately, there is still a number of rural areas where people cannot use the elearning programs we offer to learn more about Web technologies.  How can new adopters use or excel in the World Wide Web if they don’t have access or reasonable functionality to learn about it?  Broadband to everyone means better ideas and communication that will help society grow and prosper and therefore a better world for tomorrow!

— Jim

Dispatches from Supercomm — Day 2 Blog Winner!

By IIA

As part of IIA’s involvement in Supercomm, we’re asking attendees to write about what broadband access means to their daily lives. Throughout the convention, we’ll be posting some the responses we receive.

Peola was yesterday’s winner in our Broadband Blog contest at Supercomm. For her winning entry, she received an iPod!

Here’s Peola’s entry:

I use broadband in my daily life because I cannot imagine a world without connectivity within seconds; rapid video and music downloads, current company product information, and my ability to have boundless Internet access to restaurants when I am in a new and exciting city each week.

These are exciting times and Internet access for all, per President Obama, is an unheralded opportunity for every business in America, no matter how small, to obtain a website presence.

My son has no idea what life was like….with a phone book.

— Peola

Congratulations to Peola! We’ll have another winner later on today!

Dispatches from Supercomm (Day 2)

By IIA

As part of IIA’s involvement in Supercomm, we’re asking attendees to write about what broadband access means to their daily lives. Throughout the convention, we’ll be posting some the responses we receive.

Mobile broadband is the future as immediate access to information when and where you need it will contribute significantly to economic growth. Mobility will be a key fundamental ingredient to allow users flexibility.

All types of applications, and business can be spawned by the concept of mobility broadband. Development of intelligent networks and capacity need to be done as current network architecture cannot support the demands of broadband speeds.

— Tim

Broadband has changed the way get information and allowed me to connect with all kinds of people I have lost track of over the years!  No more yellow pages, catalogs orreference books – it’s all online, and the speed of broadband allows me and everyone who has access to it to do this at a swift pace. Looking up business online takes less time than opening a phone book!

— Bill

Everyone should have equal access to the information available over the internet. The internet at broadband speeds are increasingly becoming an integral part of day to day life not only for entertainment, but more importantly it is also great for educational purposes. Broadband should be available to everyone regardless of where they might choose to live.

— Ben

I grew up in a small town in Russia surrounded by forest where we didn’t even have a telephone. We loved to watch cartoons and waited the whole week to see Saturday afternoon show. I would get very sad if I missed it and it is one of the most bright memories of those days.

Just a few years passed by and now one can watch anything at any time anywhere. Broadband reached as far as Ukraine, where I live now, and it is hard to imagine life without it. That is how we get the news, talk to friends, look up cooking recipes, watch videos, share photos. I believe the new generation of kids will be awed to hear the stories of life without it.

— Jenia

The broadband network in the United States should be upgraded to fiber to support the speeds of the future. Why has the advancement of the broadband network been slow to convert to fiber when it is the fastest media to use for broadband? What will be the best incentive to push providers to convert the current broadband media to fiber?

— Kelvin

I use broadband in my daily life because I cannot imagine a world without connectivity within seconds; rapid video and music downloads, current company product information, and my ability to have boundless Internet access to restaurants when I am in a new and exciting city each week.

These are exciting times and Internet access for all, per President Obama, is an unheralded opportunity for every business in America, no matter how small, to obtain a website presence.

My son has no idea what life was like….with a phone book.

— Peola

Broadband is needed in rural communities to assist in their development and assist in their daily lives. This can be enhanced with the use of Teleworking, and teleconferencing to the use of normal web services like web access and email and so forth. Rural population do not enjoy the same services that the urban centres do so this is the best ways to deliver such service to them.

— Laisiasa

Broadband technology will be the driving force to plug the developing world – and the majority of the world’s population – into a truly integrated global community. Like all groundbreaking technology, broadband is a democratic force that will level the playing field, improve lives, and strengthen equitable international relations.

—Shirreef

I could not live without wireless broadband because I live in a remote area that is not serviced by phone lines, but have job requirements that absolutely require email/fast Internet access (remote meetings, delivery of video content, etc.).

Moreover, as a daddy of a four year old, I very often take digital photos/movies and thus, share these with family members. Ditto for Internet radio, YouTube, and all the good stuff.

Blending rural living with modern conveniences is only accomplished by wireless broadband. It directly impacts my quality of life!

— Bo

Dispatches from Supercomm — Blog Winner!

By IIA

As part of IIA’s involvement in Supercomm, we’re asking attendees to write about what broadband access means to their daily lives. Throughout the convention, we’ll be posting some the responses we receive.

Pete Salerno was today’s winner in our Broadband Blog contest at Supercomm. For his winning entry, he received an iPod!

Here’s Pete’s entry:

Broadband is key to modern life. Today’s world is instant access, and high bandwidth. Gone are the days when business could be conducted with a pager and black phone. With wireless BB access I can demonstrate services to potential customer during a casual 1-on-1 conversation and my smart-phone. I can pull up product specs of the web and reply to key emails wherever I am.

Personal life is also enhanced with BB access. Simply posting an interesting photo of a place or event I am at on to Facebook from my phone is now second nature. Helping a family member repair an appliance over the phone is facilitated by receiving photos of the device via MMS.

The possibilities are endless…

— Pete

Congratulations to Pete! And we’ll have more winners throughout the event.