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Playing the numbers game with U.S. broadband rankings
We know the numbers – the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) world broadband ranking numbers. The U.S. ranks 20th in the world in terms of adoption (60 percent), according to the latest “Global Broadband Forecast” from Strategy Analytics, a global research and consulting firm.
Needless to say, placing 20th in such a category is not where the U.S. wants to be. Compared with past rankings, it indicates we’re actually falling farther behind instead of catching up to competing nations.
It begs the question: How accurate is that ranking when looked at from a different perspective? According to Thomas Hazlett, a professor of law and economics at George Mason University, it’s not very accurate at all.
Critical success factors for community broadband
Community broadband isn’t about following a specific business or technical model – it’s about the people who will eventually use the network and be responsible for making it work. It’s also being open to technology and what it can do to further community-specific goals. In short, it’s about the community.
But to be successful, community initiatives need to engage community stakeholders in creating, managing and deriving value from the proposed network. Successful initiatives also require a focus in the following key areas:
Strong leadership with more than one identified champion
Someone needs to step up and take ownership of the program being developed in the community. But what kind of leadership works best? What kind of champions should take the reins? The Knight Center of Digital Excellence is a proponent of local leadership. Our Connected Communities Team works collectively with organizations across the nation applying hundreds of combined years of experience serving their local communities. It’s fundamental that any program is rooted in strong local leadership. After all, who better to structure and drive the success of a plan designed to further community-specific goals?
Follow Knight critical success factors to ensure network sustainability
The Knight Center of Digital Excellence is dedicated to helping Knight communities across the nation develop broadband strategies that meet local challenges and help each other compete and thrive in the new economy. The communities range from large cities such as Miami and Detroit to mid-sized cities such as Akron, Ohio, and small, more rural areas such as Milledgeville, Ga.
Our key learning: Each city is unique in terms of their individual needs, but a sustainable network can be established in each one if our proven and innovative approach to digital transformation – our critical success factors – are met:
Inspiring digital visions: During the first stages of engagement awareness is key. We raise awareness of what COULD be, and what the power of information technologies can mean for the broader community and each key stakeholder group. This happens only by making the benefits of broadband tangible, real and achievable to benefit and transform areas including health care, education, government, digital inclusion, workforce development, economic opportunity and democracy.
Seen and unseen possibilities: Broadband means economic growth
By Doug Adams, Knight Center of Digital Excellence
Our nation’s broadband economic stimulus plan – part of the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act – is placing a bet that our economy will improve with the expansion of high-speed Internet.
Of course, there are the jobs created just through basic construction, such as the building of broadband networks including fiber and towers. This is no different from jobs created through construction of a building. But if a region builds an office building with no use – with hardly any potential tenants – the economic impact will be short-lived and limited to the building project itself.
So what will we do with all of this broadband once we have it? The promise of broadband is much more significant than opportunities a new office park might provide. Faster and more pervasive Internet service provides a platform for innovation, research and development for all citizens – bringing with it new products, services and most importantly, revenue streams.
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