A new report from Connected Nation predicts that the current legislation promoting broadband development in the U.S. could provide an economic stimulus of as much as $134 billion annually. According to a press release that accompanied the report, a “modest increase” in broadband adoptions nationally would produce the result.
The report. re;eased today, was an obvious pitch for Congress to get behind the model, patterned after ConnectKentucky, that Connected Nation has been pushing at the national level. Nevertheless, it comes at a critical time. In the face of growing worries over recession, national debates in the U.S. are increasingly focused on economic solutions. (Too bad, the report didn’t come before Congress and the Bush administration hammered out a $150 billion “stimulus” giveaway that many economists agree won’t do much good.)
Connected Nation has seen its share of controversy and, no doubt, there will be those who quarrel with these findings. But whichever side of Connected Nation you’re on, the report deserves a serious look and even more serious consideration. Unfortunately, the “thought-leaders” in Washington who are trying to identify schemes to provide a badly needed stimulus to the economy can’t seem to get beyond tax breaks and monetary give-backs. Investments in critical infrastructures that help build a framework for economic health, rather than just provide a short-term shot-in-the-arm, provide greater promise for sustainable growth and a more productive future.
Click here to read the report.
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