Broadband and Economic Development: A Municipal Case Study

In this paper, we explore whether broadband investment by municipalities has an
effect on economic growth.

George S. Ford*
Thomas M. Koutsky**

Full Paper: http://www.freepress.net/docs/broadband_and_economic_development_aes.pdf

***

(Many thanks to Jack Schultz – http://www.boomtowninstitute.com/ , Ed Morrison http://edpro.blogspot.com/, Eric Pages http://www.entreworks.net and others for passing these sites along. Their submissions were a result of a question posed on the Economic Gardening Listserve. If you’d like to participate in economic development discussions with a global group of professionals, please visit here: http://littletongov.org/bia/economicgardening/econdev.asp
There are also many stories in the 6 years of MATR archives http://www.matr.net/ that focus on the subject of communications and economic development. Simply search on WiFi, Broadband or any other topics of interest. Specific Communications and Connectivity Stories are here: http://www.matr.net/news.phtml?cat_id=11&catlabel=Connectivity+%26+Communications

Russ)

***

Here is a blog that I did last month on the first such project with a
city-wide wi-fi network in the Frontier Telephone network, primarily located
in rural communities.

Jack Schultz

Boomtown Institute http://www.boomtowninstitute.com/

Diversifying
Technologically-Pioneering Approach

Diversification not Development was the key word that I found
interesting in the Elko County Economic Diversification Authority that
Elaine Barksdull runs in Elko, NV. She was inaugurating one of the building
blocks in that diversification the day that I was there with a new citywide
Wi-Fi Network in Elko, the first of its kind in the entire Frontier
Telephone network in 24 states.

The new service started being planned when, as Denise Baumbach,
SR VP and General Manager for the Western Region of Frontier told me, "The
company announced funding for ten such networks across the USA a year ago.
It was a way for us to offer a big-city service into rural America. Elko
was first because of the wonderful collaboration of the city manager, CFO of
the county, the mayor and city council and Elaine Barksdull who coordinated
all of the efforts. It was refreshing to see a community with a leadership
that shared a common vision and got the job done."

Mayor Mike Franzoia, known universally throughout the town as
Mayor Mike, said, "Elko has always been a community of pioneers. Since
1868, when we were nothing more than a group of tents at the end of the
Central Pacific Railroad, we have experienced the ups and downs of a growing
frontier town-slowly but surely building the infrastructure and community
services necessary to support our residents and businesses in a manner that
has put Elko on the map as a city that is truly ‘in the middle of
everywhere’"

The service, which will allow broadband wireless service
anywhere within a five square mile service area (1st phase) to access the
internet, goes live tomorrow morning in Elko. It’s an example of what a
"can do" pioneering spirit can do when unleashed.

***

THe US EDA funded a study by MIT that looks at the economic impact of
broadband–you can find the study at this page:
http://www.eda.gov/Research/ResearchReports.xml

Another good sources is
the Pew Internet and American Life project at http:// http://www.pewinternet.org/
. Hope this helps and happy Holidays.

Erik

Erik R. Pages
President
EntreWorks Consulting
3407 North Edison Street
Arlington, VA 22207
703-237-2506
[email protected]

Home