Among the provisions frequently chided in President Obama's economic stimulus plan was the more than $7 billion for broadband improvement across the nation. Critics often asked, how does providing broadband and Internet access create jobs?
The truth is, that broadband access is an ongoing telecommunications revolution in the business world. The high-speed access (about 10 times faster than standard telephone dial-up connections) that broadband provides makes posting, sending and viewing online data and information much quicker and efficient. It saves time and resources for business, while greatly expanding opportunities to serve their customers. That, in the longer run, not only preserves jobs but can certainly create them, as well.
Another truth is that there still are many places in the country, mostly rural areas, that have limited access to broadband services, or no access at all. Some of those locations are in our Times readership area.
Which is why it's important for citizens of Green and Lafayette counties who do not have broadband access to participate in a survey being conducted by the Public Services Commission of Wisconsin. The PSC is urging state citizens to help the state identify where the need for broadband exists, to potentially tap into that $7 billion of federal money available for improvements.
That's why a bipartisan roster of legislators - including Reps. Brett Davis, R-Oregon, and Steve Hilgenberg, D-Dodgeville, and Republican Sen. Dale Schultz of Richland Center - has been promoting the survey and its importance in the past week.
"Dozens of states are going to be competing for these federal dollars and we have to do whatever we can to increase Wisconsin's chances of receiving federal support," Hilgenberg said in a news release.
"If we wish to speed up the rebound of our economy, improving our broadband infrastructure will be a key piece of the puzzle," Davis said in a commentary that will be published in the Times later this week.
Visit the PSC Web site at http://psc.wi.gov and participate in the survey. Doing so just could end up helping business in Green and Lafayette counties.
The truth is, that broadband access is an ongoing telecommunications revolution in the business world. The high-speed access (about 10 times faster than standard telephone dial-up connections) that broadband provides makes posting, sending and viewing online data and information much quicker and efficient. It saves time and resources for business, while greatly expanding opportunities to serve their customers. That, in the longer run, not only preserves jobs but can certainly create them, as well.
Another truth is that there still are many places in the country, mostly rural areas, that have limited access to broadband services, or no access at all. Some of those locations are in our Times readership area.
Which is why it's important for citizens of Green and Lafayette counties who do not have broadband access to participate in a survey being conducted by the Public Services Commission of Wisconsin. The PSC is urging state citizens to help the state identify where the need for broadband exists, to potentially tap into that $7 billion of federal money available for improvements.
That's why a bipartisan roster of legislators - including Reps. Brett Davis, R-Oregon, and Steve Hilgenberg, D-Dodgeville, and Republican Sen. Dale Schultz of Richland Center - has been promoting the survey and its importance in the past week.
"Dozens of states are going to be competing for these federal dollars and we have to do whatever we can to increase Wisconsin's chances of receiving federal support," Hilgenberg said in a news release.
"If we wish to speed up the rebound of our economy, improving our broadband infrastructure will be a key piece of the puzzle," Davis said in a commentary that will be published in the Times later this week.
Visit the PSC Web site at http://psc.wi.gov and participate in the survey. Doing so just could end up helping business in Green and Lafayette counties.
