WASHINGTON-The state of Michigan is the best state at promoting the deployment of broadband services, according to a report released on Thursday by TechNet, a high-tech policy think tank.
“Michigan leads the list of states that have enacted policies to accelerate broadband deployment and spur demand for broadband applications and services, by virtue of a comprehensive strategy to bring the benefits of broadband to all its citizens through policies that clear deployment roadblocks, promote supply and spur demand,” reads The State Broadband Index: An Assessment of State Policies Impacting Broadband Deployment and Demand.
TechNet has set a goal of delivering broadband-defined as 100 megabits per second-to 100 million American homes and small businesses by 2010. The 100 Mbps rate is significantly higher than the current definition used by the Federal Communications Commission of 200 kilobits per second in each direction.
As part of its strategy to meet its broadband goal, TechNet commissioned a study by Analysys Consulting to determine which state is doing the best job in promoting broadband and to learn what states generally can do to promote broadband.
The first thing states need to do is to develop a broadband strategy and formal plan, said TechNet.
States will benefit if they promote broadband, TechNet said, because businesses will be drawn to areas with high-speed connections to the rest of the world.
“Businesses increasingly rely on broadband to stay connected to company operations, suppliers, customers and employees who telecommute. For them, broadband availability will comprise an important component of company location decisions, impacting state employment and economic growth,” reads the report.
Underserved communities can be promoted if states offer financial incentives, said TechNet.
If states are successful in promoting broadband in hard-to-serve areas, these areas will become or continue to be attractive to their citizens, said TechNet.
“Increasingly, citizens will choose where to live based on the availability of broadband for both work and pleasure,” reads the report.
