connected tennessee releases broadband inventory

The analysis, released at a meeting of the Tennessee Broadband Task Force today in Nashville is the first step toward ensuring Governor Phil Bredesen's goal of every Tennessean realizing the benefits of technology, from improved healthcare to better education. Connected Tennessee is a public/private partnership working with a number of state agencies and the private sector to implement Governor Bredesen's Trail to Innovation, a statewide program aimed at making Tennessee a leader in technology acceleration efforts.
"This data is the first step toward moving Tennessee forward with a common sense broadband strategy," said Governor Bredesen. "Increasingly, we're being told that broadband access is part of the basic infrastructure, like highways and utility lines. If we want to provide opportunities for growth and higher skilled, better paying jobs in all 95 counties, especially in rural counties, we need the data compiled by Connected Tennessee in order to attract those types of jobs."
According to Connected Tennessee's research, between 86% and 90% of Tennessee households have access to broadband, also called high-speed Internet (meaning service is available to the household). The group's survey results also show that 43% of households actually use broadband service and 71% of households own a computer.
Tennessee is one of the only states in the nation to have a sophisticated broadband inventory map that shows where broadband service exists and where it is not yet available. The map will help guide Internet providers to areas with a need for service. Ultimately, the goal is to increase Internet availability and use across the state.
Tennessee is taking an approach similar to a successful program implemented by the national non-profit Connected Nation in Kentucky. That program reached nearly one hundred percent broadband coverage statewide within a three year period. Both the Tennessee and Kentucky programs are subsidiaries of Connected Nation whose goals include technology access and literacy.
"By adopting the Task Force recommendation and establishing Connected Tennessee, Gov. Phil Bredesen has accomplished in two months what would have taken years to accomplish otherwise," said Task Force member Pat Miller, a Tennessee Regulatory Authority director. "Tennessee now has the data and a comprehensive plan to make Tennessee a leader in broadband deployment."
The Tennessee Broadband Task Force is chaired by State Senator Roy Herron (d-Dresden) and State Representative Mark Maddox (d-Dresden) and includes representatives from the telecommunications industry and various state agencies. The Task Force was established to study the challenges related to providing broadband to all Tennesseans.
According to the Task Force report issued in January, "Broadband expansion is to the 21st century what rural electrification was to the 20th century ... high-speed Internet access ... is critically important to Tennessee's future, especially in jobs, education and healthcare."
Connected Tennessee will work in partnership with telecommunications providers, information technology companies, public agencies, business leaders, community leaders, researchers and universities in an effort to meet five primary goals, which include:

· Affordable broadband availability for all Tennessee;

· Dramatically improved use of computers and the Internet by all Tennesseans;

· "eCommunity Leadership Teams" formed in every county - local leaders who assemble to develop and implement technology growth strategies for local government, business and industry, education, healthcare, agriculture, libraries, tourism and community-based organizations;

· A policy and regulatory framework that encourages continued investment in communications and information technologies year after year and

· A meaningful use of the Internet among all Tennessee communities, to improve citizen services and promote economic development through e-government, virtual education and online healthcare.