Submitted by acohill on Fri, 07/23/2004 - 09:30
There are still plenty of community leaders and elected officials who are not taking broadband seriously. Bluntly put, it's a critical economic development issue. Ignore it at your peril.
This article that summarizes recent growth in broadband use in the U.S. is a must read for economic developers. If your community is behind in broadband use compared to the general population, you have a serious problem that demands immediate and continuous attention.
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On the national level, the news is excellent--nearly 75% of the country is now using the Internet. How does your community compare?
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Half of those Internet users now have broadband access, or about 35% of the entire U.S. population. Again, how does your community compare?
- Even more significant is the month to month growth in broadband--this data is from February 2004, and growth is estimated at 2% a month, meaning that as we read this, broadband use in homes may already be as high as 50% of the population.
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In the business sector, nearly 77% of U.S. workers have broadband in the workplace. Can you say that for the small businesses in your community? Do you still have leaders who don't think its an economic development issue? How will your local businesses (without affordable broadband) compete with businesses that do?
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Finally, more women are online than men in key demographic sectors. Guess who does most consumer buying in the U.S.? Again, how does your community compare?
Wondering how to get your community leaders more interested? How about taking one out to lunch next week and reviewing this data with them?