Connect the Nation

Yesterday I had the pleasure of speaking with the folks from Connected Nation and learned so much more about all the good work they are doing in Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio and now West Virginia. 

They have been working in Kentucky for 3 years now and have fallen just shy of their target of having 100% availability by EoY 07.  However, in those 3 years access has jumped from 60% coverage to 95% coverage.  And the take rate on that has jumped from 22% to 44%-- a 100% increase.  Before, Kentucky was ranked near the bottom for broadband adoption, but in short order it has caught up to the national trend line.  This is very exciting and while the results in increased penetration are impressive in their own right, what I found most impressive was all the hard work that goes into the demand side initiatives.   Key to the demand side is their work in individual counties with folks from 9 or so disciplines including healthcare, k-12, higher education, libraries, public safety, business and others to ensure that the applications that impact the local community and their needs are being developed and implemented.  Then the public is being educated about how they can use these applications to improve their individual lives and the life of the community.
 

I certainly hope that this good work can be replicated not only in TN, OH & WVA, but across the nation.  The best path to that happening is Congress acting on the broadband mapping legislation that is now before them, including a version of the Connect the Nation Act that has been included in the Farm Bill which is nearing completion by a bi-partisan group of negotiators from the Senate and the House.