Here are a few highlights that USTelecom President and CEO Walter B. McCormick Jr. discusses about the driving force broadband plays in our innovation economy:

• Fueling Growth. More than $900 billion of our nation’s GDP is the result of broadband-enabled innovation industries.  Information, communications and technology sectors also contribute approximately 10 million American jobs.
• Driving Opportunity. From Internet-enabled telecommuting to education to telemedicine, the high-speed Internet is revolutionizing access to economic and quality of life opportunities.  Rural broadband subscriptions increased by 13 percent in 2009 – all as a result of private sector investment.
• Promoting Private Sector Investment. A study from the Brookings Institution links the substantial private sector investment of our nation’s broadband providers to hundreds of thousands of U.S. jobs.  Continued robust, investment could add more than half a million more American jobs.

With a sound, policy framework, broadband can help the U.S. economy rise to new heights.  Interested in learning more about how the high-speed Internet can help job creation and more?  Click on the video.

Here are a few highlights that USTelecom President and CEO Walter B. McCormick Jr. discusses, which underscore the meaning and impact of potential Title II regulations:

• Preserving an Open Internet—Today, America is a world leader in both Internet investment and infrastructure.  The U.S. has more than 200 million high-speed Internet subscribers, and 95% of Americans have access to broadband.  This thriving environment has lead to the bipartisan declaration that broadband is a Title I information service.  This classification has produced the Internet experience consumers enjoy today, and should not be replaced by rules devised for a bygone era.
• 19th Century Regulations in a 21st Century Marketplace—In response to a recent D.C. Circuit Court ruling, some are calling for the FCC to adopt antiquated Title II common carriage regulations over modern broadband networks.   This policy shift threatens the successful framework that has sparked investment and innovation in broadband – and could ultimately negatively affect this dynamic sector of our economy.
• Potential Consequences— This proposed regulatory approach threatens to create a new digital divide between service companies and Internet giants, who would be outside the reach of the FCC’s new rules.  Also at stake are broadband/IT sector jobs, which are projected to be among the fastest-growing U.S. occupations over the next decade.

The nation’s broadband providers welcome the Chairman’s invitation to explore a more constructive path, which upholds online consumer freedoms, and ensures our innovation economy continues to flourish.  Interested in learning more? Click on the video.

This month, the USTelecom video wall features a smorgasbord of 12 different videos, highlighting all that broadband can deliver through distance learning programs, e-health services, environmental protection and countless forms of entertainment.

Some key statistics on the wall:

• A Giant Leap for National Competitiveness
  U.S. broadband adoption increased 55% in 2009.
• Kick the Habit
  The U.S. will have 19 million telecommuters by 2012, reducing gas consumption by 5%.
• Getting Smart About Electricity
  Broadband-enabled Smart Grid technology can help consumers save up to 20% on their electricity bills.
• Fiscal & Physical Health
  Telemonitoring chronic diseases could improve lives and save nearly $200 billion over 25 years.

Learn more about the benefits of broadband, and check out the latest video wall at www.usteleocm.org.

Here are a few highlights that USTelecom President and CEO Walter B. McCormick Jr. discusses in the vidcast that reflect the ways in which broadband is helping bring the ‘green revolution’:

• Telecommuting—Working remotely via a high-speed Internet connection is not only convenient, it also represents substantial green benefits. Consider this: The number of U.S. telecommuters is expected to rise to 19 million by 2012, saving 1.5 billion hours of driving time and a 5% reduction in U.S. gas consumption.
• Teleconferencing—With widespread use, teleconferencing could eliminate one-tenth of all flights, which is equivalent to taking 28 million cars off the road.
• “Smart” Changes—USTelecom member companies are doing their part to make the earth a greener place. SureWest promotes online bill pay through its “green it like you mean it program,” while AT&T and Verizon offer video conferencing solutions.
• E-Commerce—Online shopping has an environmental bonus – purchasing over the Internet has a one-third smaller carbon footprint than traditional shopping, not to mention reducing greenhouse gas emissions thanks to less warehousing and shipping.

Interested in learning more? To hear USTelecom’s overview of how broadband is helping the environment, click on the video.

For example, online shopping does more than give consumers the luxury of convenience.  Studies show that e-commerce also is the environmentally friendly way to go – producing 1/3 smaller carbon footprint than brick and mortar stores.  And consider this: if all Americans viewed and paid bills online, we’d save 16.5 million trees annually, conserve enough energy to provide residential power to a city the size of San Francisco for a year, and cut toxic air pollutants by 3.9 billion pounds.  Last year, approximately 92 million made online purchases – an earth-friendly choice that adds up over time.

Telecommuting also yields benefits beyond the pure flexibility and ease of working from a home office.  Thanks in part to the prevalence of high-speed connections to the home the number of U.S. telecommuters is projected to hit 19 million by 2012.  This increase will save an estimated 1.5 billion hours in commuting time, and reduce gas consumption by 5%.  And here’s a vision for the future: if all working Americans with the ability to telecommute did so 1.6 days per week, our nation could save 1.35 billion gallons of fuel annually.

But that’s not all broadband can help save.  The deployment of Internet-enabled SmartGrid technology could reduce electricity consumption by as much as 30%, thanks to the enhanced efficiencies this technology provides.  And smart meter technologies can help consumers save up to 20% on their electricity bills.

Broadband-powered technologies are doing their part to preserve our environment, while still giving consumers more choices.

In the latest USTelecom vidcast, USTelecom President and CEO Walter B. McCormick Jr. discusses how broadband is unleashing the next frontier in American medicine. Here are some featured highlights:

• Electronic Health Records — Digitizing health records nationwide is projected to save the U.S. half a trillion dollars over 15 years. Four out of five doctors who use electronic health records say they improve the quality of clinical decisions, reduce medication errors, and aid prevention efforts.
• Telehealth Systems — Thanks to digital diagnostic tools, patients can be screened, regardless of where they live, and specialists can view electronically transmitted, high-resolution images to produce a faster diagnosis, providing unprecedented access to quality care.
• Emerging Advances — USTelecom member companies are leaders on the digital health frontier, creating collaboration tools that connect doctors and patients via video consultations, and soon via doctors’ mobile devices.
• Economic Benefits — Citing a 37% increase in private health IT investments in 2009, U.S. Chief Technology Officer Aneesh Chopra said the sector would be an “engine of job creation and investment.”

Interested in learning more? To hear USTelecom’s overview of how broadband is enhancing American health care, click on the video.

In the latest USTelecom vidcast, USTelecom President and CEO Walter B. McCormick Jr. discusses the positive contributions broadband is already making to our economy, as well as what lies ahead for broadband and IT-related industries.  Here are some featured highlights:

• Job Growth. Studies show the broadband and IT sectors created nearly half of all new American jobs in 2008.  And this growth trajectory gives no indication of slowing down.  To the contrary, Broadband Information, Communications, and Technology-enabled occupations are projected to be the fastest-growing U.S. professions over the next decade.
• Well-Paying Positions. In addition to the rapid growth of telecom positions, studies show that the average hourly earnings for these positions are 42% higher than those in the manufacturing sector.
• Vigorous Investment. Companies nationwide invested $455 billion in the Internet, Communications, and Technology sector in 2008 – amounting to more than 1 in every 5 dollars invested in the entire U.S. economy.  Not only does this establish the U.S. as the world leader in broadband investment, economists also estimate that at least one-third of our country’s productivity growth derives from these broadband-fueled sectors.

Interested in learning more?  To hear USTelecom’s overview of how broadband is aiding the economy, click on the video.

• Greater diversity of social networks—Pew finds that Internet users explore a wide variety of social circles from visiting neighbors to enjoying parks, cafes, and libraries.
• Giving back to the community—In addition to millions of dollars in online charitable contributions, Pew found that bloggers who surf the web are more likely to volunteer in their local communities.
• Reconnecting with past and present lives—Whether contacting a childhood friend on Facebook or enjoying a video chat with a relative, virtual communities and instant messaging services are keeping us close.
• Making the holidays brighter—Thanks to VoIP, social networking, and email, today’s men and women in uniform can reconnect with their loved ones – which is the best kind of holiday gift.

To hear more about how the Internet is connecting us, click on the video.

• 1 in 10 of the 300 million Facebook users participate in at least one of the nearly 200,000 Facebook Causes – that’s 30 million people dedicating their time, support, and resources.

• Online games like “Farmville” are cultivating a new kind of giving, thanks to its “Sweet Seeds for Haiti” campaign which donates 50% of the income earned on sales of the game’s virtual sweet potato seeds to organizations that feed Haitian children.

• Twitter-based fundraising events are also on the rise, with a 2008 event raising $10,000 in 48 hours to build a classroom for students in Tanzania.

In this challenging economy, when more citizens need help and many of us have less to give, online charitable contributions are becoming mission-critical to communities nationwide.  And, lucky for us, thanks to broadband, doing good has never been easier.

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In honor of Thanksgiving, our latest Broadband Now video and video wall highlight a few things we can be grateful for, thanks to broadband:

Technology-Driven Job Growth. In 2008, the broadband-fueled information, communication and technology sector created nearly half of all new American jobs. And, not only are broadband-enabled jobs the fastest growing U.S. occupations, they are also among the best-paying jobs.

Investment-Driven Innovation. With high-speed Internet available to 96% of Americans and Internet traffic doubling every 12-15 months, investment is crucial to ensure complex networks continue to thrive and meet consumer demand. Thanks to the nation’s broadband providers, nearly $60 billion is invested each year to keep these networks strong, secure and growing.

Modern Health Advances. From remote medical monitoring to broadband-based innovations that track whether patients are taking their medication, the Internet is making it easier than ever for us to lead healthier lives.

Free and Open Internet. Thanks to the free and open Internet we have today, we have the jobs, investment and consumer control we want, without the government over-regulation that could stifle private investment and innovation.

For more thoughts on broadband-driven benefits to be thankful for, click on the video.