WASHINGTON, January 24, 2013 – Broadband is about more than internet connection speeds, but now is everywhere, and affecting the way that consumers interacting with constantly-connected devices, according to a guide released by the Internet Innovation Alliance.
The IIA guide highlights the usage of broadband connectivity in the advancement of distance learning in schools, as well as how an internet protocol-based network can impact the consumer’s availability and access to healthcare. One healthcare application is a “technology- enabled electronic stethoscope, which amplifies heart sounds while canceling out ambient noise.”
Additionally, the guide offers IIA’s answers common questions such as Where did the internet come from? Who owns the internet? And how should members of Congress and the FCC work together in the regulation of communications networks?
The guide notes that 66 percent of American households have adopted some form of broadband in the year 2012. That number is exactly double 2005’s number. Additionally, from January to June 2012, the tech industry saw a 1.7 percent increase in new jobs, with 100,000 new hires.
The guide also notes which states are ahead of and behind the curve for broadband. California, New Jersey, Virginia and Massachusetts are among the states ahead of the curve for broadband “adoption, network quality and economic structure.” Alaska, New Mexico, Wyoming and Arkansas rank near the bottom.
Looking ahead to 2013, IIA strikes a positive note. Economist Michael Mandel said that the applications economy “didn’t exist five years ago, and now employs more than 500,000 Americans.” As the shift into cloud computing continues, the IIA says that 2013 is the time where “our innovators innovate, or entrepreneurs compete and ensure consumers have the knowledge and the freedom to make the most of the technology available to them.”
The full guide can be read at http://internetinnovation.org.
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