TechNet Assesses State Broadband Policies; New Mississippi Incentives Bear Fruit

Technology Network (TechNet), a national network of more than 200 CEOs and senior executives in the high technology and biotechnology industries, yesterday unveiled its ranking for how state policies to encourage next-generation broadband deployment are with the network’s policies.

A TechNet report, The State Broadband Index, shows Michigan’s programs and policies as the most favorable for the industry. Florida, Missouri, Texas, Ohio, Washington, Kansas, Virginia, Colorado and Iowa round out the top 10. The report ranks the top 25 states based on the extent to which TechNet believes their public policies spur or impede broadband deployment and demand, and includes a Best Practices Guide to what TechNet considers the most innovative state broadband initiatives.

TechNet points to a low U.S. ranking internationally as justification for the individual states to take more active roles to encourage broadband deployment. According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the U.S. currently ranks sixth in the world in broadband access behind Korea, Canada, Sweden, Denmark and Belgium with a penetration rate of only 6 out of 100 residents having high-speed Internet access.

In addition to TechNet’s rankings, the Index outlines a range of policy recommendations for states to explore to expand broadband deployment, including:

* legislation that standardizes and expedites rights-of-way permitting;

* adoption of a statewide broadband strategy and creation of a lead broadband agency;

* comprehensive infrastructure mapping;

* policies to enable wholesale municipal networks;

* innovative initiatives that increase private sector deployment;

* financial incentives to reach underserved communities; and,

* demand-promotion.

The State Broadband Index can be downloaded through http://www.technet.org/

OECD’s study, Measuring the Information Economy 2002, is available at: http://www.oecd.org/document/5/0,2340,en_2649_37409_2765701_1_1_1_37409,00.html

Proof in the pudding for rural Mississippi deployment
BellSouth announced at the end of June that it expects to have achieve 100 percent high-speed Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) across Mississippi by the end of the year due to a state’s initiative.

"We will complete deployment of DSL to all of our central offices throughout the state as a direct result of the Legislature’s passage of the Mississippi Broadband Technology Development Act," said John McCullouch, president of BellSouth-Mississippi. "This means that BellSouth will nearly triple its planned 2003 DSL capital investment and spend $10 million this year to make this highly desired service available to more of our state residents and businesses."

Tax incentives offered through the 2003 Mississippi Broadband Technology Development Act are designed to provide companies with larger economic incentives for deploying broadband services in the least populated areas of the state and smaller incentives to more urban areas. A BellSouth press release stated that, prior to this legislation, the cost associated with deploying broadband in the least populated areas prevented companies from deploying residential broadband throughout the entire state.

More information on the Mississippi Broadband Technology Development Act is available at: http://www.state.ms.us/frameset.jsp?URL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ls.state.ms.us

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