Preparing for the Exaflood

Those of us who have tirelessly promoted the message that broadband Internet access is critical to our economy, our competitiveness, our environment and our infrastructure continue to be vindicated in the media.  News stories about with reports of the cost savings and productivity gains that will be achieved if more Americans have broadband Internet access.  One of my favorites is a report from The American Consumer Institute that describes all the ways that wide adoption of broadband Internet access will be good for the environment. One of the highlights of this reports is a simple fact that states that reductions in first-class mail, as well as the plastics saved, by downloading music and video, could reduce emissions by 67.2 million tons over the next 10 years.  In addition, the report points out that increased telecommuting could save another 588 million tons over the next ten years.

While there are clearly countless ways to calculate the positive impact that reduced emissions resulting from deeper broadband penetration across the US, the bottom line is that under any scenario, all of us would benefit.  The Exaflood is coming and we need everyone to be prepared for it and ready to particpate in it.  This fundamental truth underscores IIA's core objective to advocate for increased broadband access across the US and support the work and solutions developed by groups like Connect Kentucky and One-Economy, which have successfully created mechanisms to bridge public-private programs and increase penetration in their targeted areas.