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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.

If TV networks have been a bit slow in figuring out how to attract eyeballs to their sites, the impetus to speed up that process might just be the marketers on whom the networks rely for ad revenue.  Major media buyers are now negotiating packages that are increasingly including an online component reports the Wall Street Journal.

At this year's upfronts, the network TV dog and pony shows that promote fall line ups, and also where most of the ad buys for the next year are made, digital ad buys made a noticeable splash in overall ad buys for the first time. For marketers, it's a easy addition - for the most part companies run the same ads that are shown on TV.  And it's a smart step. According to research, people actually pay more attention to online ads than to those on regular TV.

But for a few networks, even this news is yesterday's.  At the ABC Family network, the next steps is the blurring of the line between ads and shows, with the network using product placements in story shorts during commercial breaks. The network announced a new creative short, "Nikki in the City," this month that is not only the network's answer to Sex in the City complete with a single, stylish, working and dating, woman. But more importantly, it's a vehicle ready made for advertisers with product placement opportunities galore in each short. Are feature length ads next?

One of the most rewarding things about working in the Internet industry is seeing all the ways improved connectivity improves lives. It's easy to look at high-tech innovation as something that changes consumer behavior, but the technologies that really take off often succeed because the old model just isn't working well anymore.
Take education. Last week The Boston Globe wrote about the growing popularity of online learning that was enabling thousands of people to earn diplomas without ever setting food on a college campus. The report cited many of the most cliché reasons that a student might want to earn a degree this way, such as being able to attend a morning lecture in pajamas rather than shuffling bleary eyed across campus. But it did not delve so much into what I suspect are the real reasons, such as the soaring costs of higher education that are growing faster than inflation.
Most colleges do not offer a discount for their online classes, but just by giving students some flexibility in when they will "attend" class, they expand their options significantly, making it more possible to hold down a part-time, or even a full-time job while taking courses, and, like the Boston Globe noted, earn a degree without paying hefty room and board costs.
This same month, career counselor Marty Nemko published a controversial piece for The Chronicle of Higher Education that called the Bachelor's Degree America's most overrated product. Nemko argued that the costs - and too often the debt - incurred in pursuit of a college degree had gotten so exorbitant that students could no longer expect to get back all those costs in higher-paying jobs.
This blog is not the forum to debate his startling assertion that a lot of people would be better off not going to college. But it's fair to say that the combination of poor academic preparation and limited financial resources does make college a risky proposal for many students. If online learning can alleviate some of the financial strain associated with the traditional on-campus model, it will make it more likely that students will see a real return on their investment, rather than just a mountain of debt.
 

All too often on this blog, I point out problems that may arrive with the coming Exaflood, or I take time to acknowledge the many stakeholders that have not prepared adequately for the future. I've even directed you to a video or two that mock how absolutely crippled we would be if the Internet were ever to crash.  But today I need to ask you to check out a video of a different sort.

Connected Nation's, Computers 4 Kids program, recently released a video that features Lotez Holloway, a beneficiary of the program, and a foster care child who tells us that he has been in six homes and four high schools in five years. Through the program, Lotez now has a computer of his own, and in having that computer, has finally found some calm, stability and hope in his life. By having access to the same tools and technology as more fortunate children, Lotez is achieving in school and has big dreams for his future.

We in the corporate world tend to spout statistics and carefully crafted messages about how important computers and broadband are to the future of our economy, and to our quality of life. But what I love about this testimony is when Lotez, completely unscripted, says it so simply and perfectly.  When describing why having a computer is so essential now, he says, "it's like your pencil now."

It's like your pencil now. What else is there to say?  Kudos to Connected Nation, and their Computers 4 Kids programs, for having an impact on kids like Lotez. I look forward to sharing more of this kind of video with you.  

Last Friday, Connected Nation released a report about how Kentuckinans are using their internet connections to connect with eGOvernment Services.  Highlights of the study include:

 47% of Kentuckians use eGovernment Services
 74% of Kentuckians with Broadband to their homes use eGovernment services.

I know for myself having Broadband at home allows me to do everything from ordering a replacement recycling bin to stating in touch with my kid's school.  eGOvernmernt is definatley a good thing.