Chattanooga Claims America’s Fastest Broadband Service and How It Markets Its Way to Broadband Success

During an evening telecast in 1969, newsman Walter Cronkite made a startling announcement: Chattanooga, Tenn., had the worst air pollution in America. It proved to be an alarming call to action for civic leaders, who have been working to distance their region from a bygone era of industrialism ever since.

In many ways, the city has succeeded. Chattanooga’s well-kept downtown and waterfront have been revitalized. The Tennessee Aquarium, billed the "largest freshwater aquarium in the world," opened in 1992. The city’s minor-league baseball team christened a new stadium in 2000. And the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga campus continues to grow. Music festivals, art museums and rib joints have come to town — the trappings of a cosmopolitan community rather than a blue-collar dumping ground.

But Mayor Ron Littlefield remembers how things once were. Since moving to Chattanooga in the ’60s, he has been witness to the city’s gradual transformation. And now, Littlefield is watching over another metamorphosis — this one centered on amazingly fast broadband connectivity.

By Matt Williams

Full Story: http://www.govtech.com/wireless/Chattanooga-Broadband.html

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How Chattanooga Markets Its Way to Broadband Success

Watching Chattanooga’s progress using broadband to impact economic development, I’m reminded of a slogan I used to print on my business cards: “The great thing about marketing is … it works.” Chattanooga has engaged its diverse community in the marketing of its broadband network to spur economic outcomes. And it works.

Craig Settles

Full Story: http://www.govtech.com/wireless/How-Chattanooga-Markets-Its-Way-to-Broadband-Success.html

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States Race to Improve Broadband Speeds

High-speed Internet plays a key role as regions compete to attract employers and encourage participation in today’s global economy

http://matr.net/article-49609.html