A National Endowment of the Arts report called “Audience 2.0” shows that many Americans – particularly older and lower-income individuals – use the Internet to participate in the arts, watching music, dance, and theater performances online. The study, which is interactive, features an introductory video message from NEA Chairman Rocco Landesman in which he s […]
No matter what your opinion about some of the more divisive aspects of broadband policy, we can all agree on the importance of delivering the benefits of broadband to all Americans. The nation’s broadband providers, the FCC and the Administration are all committed to ensuring accessibility, but determining the best way to encourage adoption is a complex issue that demands discussion and analysis.
In USTelecom’s latest vidcast USTelecom President and CEO Walter B. McCormick Jr. discusses this important topic and covers the following highlights:
Adoption Rates Today. 95% of the U.S. has access to fixed-line broadband service. Or consider that rate this way: when “universal” health care is fully implemented, 95% of Americans will have access to medical insurance. We have already achieved this level with broadband.
Adoption Challenges. Complex dynamics enter into consumer choice when it comes to adopting broadband. For example, a majority of those who choose not to subscribe to the Internet, say they simply don’t want or need the Internet – signifying a lack of perceived value in this modern resource. Less than 5% of Americans say price keeps them from tapping into the high-speed Internet – which is consistent with the fact that the U.S. has among the lowest entry-level broadband prices in the world. And, digital literacy and a lack of a personal computer play a part in keeping some consumers offline.
Shaping Broadband Policy. We can all get behind promoting broadband adoption, but how do we best achieve this goal? Any federal policy framework must encourage innovative business plans that allow providers to make this service more attractive to consumers. Encouraging private sector investment, flexible pricing strategies and funding for those in need are also key components of a sound broadband adoption policy.
Interested in learning more about broadband adoption? Click here for USTelecom’s overview of this topic.
The FCC’s National Broadband Plan has focused the spotlight on U.S. broadband adoption rates and emphasized the importance of the Internet to speeding economic and quality-of-life opportunities to all Americans. As we work to define sound policy goals that continue to stimulate investment and innovation, it’s important to acknowledge how far broadband adoption has come, rocketing ahead in a relatively short timeframe. As highlighted on USTelecom’s video wall, here are a few examples of the rapid strides broadband adoption has made:
Broadband Breaks Barriers. Consider this: The majority of Americans embraced broadband in less than 9 years, compared with 20 years for cable television and personal computers to achieve comparable rates. Not even the cell phone, which took 16 years to become mainstream, can rival high-speed Internet adoption rates.
Connecting Then & Now. Over the past decade, U.S. broadband access has soared from 8 million to 200 million. And five out of eight Americans now connect to the Internet at home with a high-speed Internet connection, leaving dial-up as the at-home onramp to the Internet for only 7% of adults, half the level of two years ago.
Cost & Connectivity. While some cite price as a barrier to broadband adoption, the fact remains that the U.S. has among the lowest entry-level broadband prices in the world. Fewer than 5% of Americans say price keeps them offline, and of the Americans who could purchase broadband but choose not to do so, 44% say they simply “don’t need it” – suggesting a need for education about broadband’s benefits.
As we commemorate America’s independence this month, USTelecom’s home page highlights how broadband is bringing greater independence to all of our lives. From the freedom to telecommute to the convenience of online education and telemedicine, the high-speed Internet is opening up new possibilities once unfathomable before the birth of our connected age.
In USTelecom’s latest vidcast USTelecom President and CEO Walter B. McCormick, Jr. covers these life-enhancing benefits, but also talks about how investment is driving these innovations.
The fact is, to speed new advances and ensure even more Americans seize the opportunity the high-speed Internet offers, broadband, too, must remain independent. In other words, the industry must remain free from attempts to subject this essential modern infrastructure to 20th century telephone regulations. As FCC efforts threaten Internet regulation, everyone from Members of Congress to Wall Street to leading newspapers have expressed concern. Many have warned of negative consequences to broadband investment if the Commission were to go forward with this new regulatory regime.
A new study from Frost & Sullivan shows other negative side effects of new FCC regulation as well, saying the if the FCC adds to the general open Internet principles already in place, consumers’ monthly broadband bills could jump by 25% or more. Of course, there is a positive role for government to play with respect to broadband – from expanding access to remote pockets of the nation to increasing spectrum for wireless broadband and encouraging a climate that keeps private investment flowing, so these networks remain the envy of the world.
Interested in learning more about broadband independence and the importance of investment to driving modern advances? Click here for USTelecom’s overview of this timely topic.
From telecommuting to energy consumption, broadband is giving Americans greater independence and flexibility to take charge of what matters most to them. As highlighted on USTelecom’s video wall, here are a few examples of how the high-speed Internet is making a difference in areas that translate to greater control and cost-savings for consumers:
Declare Your Independence… From the Cubicle. Today, telecommuting is dramatically expanding work opportunities, particularly for rural residents. Broadband connects more than 45 million Americans with work-from-home positions, and by 2016, a Forrester study projects that 43% of U.S. workers will work from home. In addition to rising home broadband adoption numbers, companies are realizing telecommuters can be as productive as their in-office colleagues. In fact, according to Cisco, 7 in 10 of the company’s telecommuting employees experience increased productivity.
Declare Your Independence… From High Medical Costs. Broadband-enabled remote monitoring is not only capable of providing patients with high-quality care in the comfort of their own homes the technology also helps reduce medical costs. In fact, a full embrace of remote monitoring could reduce health care expenditures by a net $197 billion over the next 25 years. Using online medical resources is also capable of cutting 25% from the average family’s health care costs.
Declare Your Independence… From High Electricity Bills. Implementing smart grid technology represents the 21st century evolution of the electric grid, utilizing new, broadband-powered innovations capable of advancing energy conservation and independence. With this technology, also comes energy and cost savings – including the reduction of electricity consumption up to a 30%.
To read more about how broadband is driving greater independence and choice, visit www.ustelecom.org.
Today, a key national priority remains stimulating jobs and our economy – and broadband is playing a pivotal role. USTelecom’s latest vidcast discusses how the high-speed Internet is aiding American’s workers, from productivity to telecommuting to tech-related work.
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.
The National Broadband Plan outlines bold recommendations to achieve the laudable goal of getting more Americans online. However, USTelecom’s latest vidcast discusses the past-gen regulations the FCC is considering applying to our next gen web that would slow our innovation economy, in direct contrast that forward-looking objective.
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.
USTelecom’s website highlights the tremendous services and opportunities made possible thanks to broadband, brought to consumers by USTelecom’s members and America’s broadband service providers.
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.
In honor of Earth Day, USTelecom’s latest vidcast highlights the green benefits broadband is bringing worldwide. From advancing efficient energy to reducing pollution, the high-speed Internet is playing an important role in making our planet more sustainable.
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.
This month, in honor of Earth Day, USTelecom’s latest video wall is highlighting a few of the ways in which broadband is helping the environment. Internet-enabled technologies are making great strides on this front, effectively reducing the adverse environmental effects of our actions, as well as helping to conserve our natural resources.
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.
Broadband is making possible next-generation health care advances on countless fronts. The high-speed Internet can help enhance patient care – speeding diagnoses, enabling remote monitoring, digitizing health records, reducing prescription errors, and controlling medical costs. All of which help provide an innovative infrastructure for America’s health care system.
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.
