Connecting Your Community to the Knowledge Economy

J. Pari Sabety presented the closing keynote address at the Digital City Expo. This presentation by Pari Sabety focuses on the vital link between telecom/networking and jobs and economic development in the Knowledge Economy. It highlights key strategies to assure that a community’s municipal network or broadband project supports a strong competitiveness strategy for their communities: through strong levels of demand for high bandwidth services from government agencies, local schools, educational institutions and others. It summarizes recent work to map broadband infrastructure and gaps in coverage at a community level. Concrete best practices and case studies are provided from states, counties and cities that have implemented successful municipal network projects using a variety of technologies, such as wireless, DSL, cable and fiber rings. It provides insights about what other communities are doing to boost their competitive advantage in using network infrastructure, powering innovation, promoting workforce training, creating new jobs and connecting low and moderate income populations to the economic mainstream.