As speeds go up and prices go down, the digital divide continues to shrink, thanks to the tens of billions of dollars invested in our nation’s communications infrastructure each year. The goal of a fully connected nation is closer than ever. For a closer look at how we’re doing in our efforts to increase broadband deployment, adoption, and education, don’t miss the newest installment of Broadband Now:
While e-health technologies drive down the cost of health care-with some estimates predicting an average annual savings from health IT of almost $81 billion over 15 years-service and hardware revenues for digital health technologies to monitor and care for elderly patients could climb as high as $1.8 billion by 2013, according to Parks Associates. Technologies contributing to that revenue growth include devices that can monitor vital signs, track locations and activities, and measure fitness progress.
For more facts about health care and broadband, check out our E-Health fact sheet. Some highlights:
Also, be on the lookout in the coming weeks for our next edition of Broadband Now, which is all about the ways broadband is improving our lives through better access to medical care.
September is National Preparedness Month, and in honor of that fact, the newest edition of USTelecom’s Broadband Now (below) is focused on how broadband helps keep our families, our communities, and our country safe from both natural and man-made threats. In addition to the video, we’ve also dedicated the video wall on the front page of USTelecom.org to facts about National Preparedness Month and Ready.gov.
Interesting research to report today about “value-added” broadband services: according to UK market research group Point-Topic, such services-which include VoIP, security, online gaming, home networking, music downloads, and video services-generated a whopping $26 billion worldwide in 2007. That’s nearly 30% of total broadband revenues, including subscriptions.
I talked about home security as a valuable add-on service for broadband providers and their customers in an episode of Broadband Now earlier this summer; you can check it out here.
As the Democratic National Convention gets underway in Denver and the Republicans prepare to head off next week to Minneapolis, it’s been interesting to see how broadband is changing the nature of campaigns. From state of the art campaign websites with a host of multimedia features to important announcements to supporters via text messages, the digital electoral battle is a more critical component of the presidential campaigns than it has ever been before.
USTelecom is looking at how broadband and digital communications are helping to shape this year’s elections, both on our interactive video wall and in the newest edition of Broadband Now, which you can see right here on the USTelecom blog:
Worried about how to protect your home while you’re on vacation this summer? Never fear; broadband is here! Home security has gone high-tech with the rapid spread of broadband, allowing homeowners to do everything from receiving text or email alerts when home alarms are triggered to remotely monitoring a live video feed of their property from anywhere in the world. From more on the ways broadband is changing the way we secure our homes and our loved ones, be sure to watch the newest edition of Broadband Now.
Whether it’s to save money on transportation costs, save time by skipping traffic, or simply to get a few extra hours each week to spend with family, more and more Americans are turning to telecommuting. For some facts and figures about how high-speed Internet connections have enabled millions of Americans to phone broadband it in, check out our newest episode of Broadband Now.
The economy may be slowing down, but e-commerce is way up. Find out how broadband is changing the retail industry–for shoppers, manufacturers, and retailers–in this edition of Broadband Now.
Broadband is bringing consumers a whole new world of choices in entertainment opportunities, from instant downloading of movies to a set-top box to streaming SNL highlights over Hulu on your laptop. Whether you’re checking show times and buying tickets on Fandango, checking out on-demand features from your couch, or streaming your favorite episodes of Buffy from the beach with Netflix’s new “Watch Instantly” option, this new episode of Broadband Now will fill you in on how to beat the summer heat with broadband.
School may be out for summer, but students and teachers alike can keep the learning process going with the wide variety of educational opportunities available on the Internet. For more on how staying connected with broadband can help combat the summer learning loss, keep parents and educators in touch, and help teachers with continuing education, check out this newest edition of Broadband Now.
