Fall 2010 - Northern Virginia Technology Council

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Telecom ToDAy: A New worlD oF NeTworkiNg A New Face to the Digital Divide For many businesses and individuals, access to the Internet is now a lifeline. So it’s fitting that landline broadband availability snakes through the state like blood vessels on the broadband map of Virginia developed by the state government (wired.virginia.gov). The urban areas of Northern Virginia, Richmond and Hampton Roads are solid pink, meshed together by lines of wired connectivity that follow major roadways through less populated areas. Large chunks of rural Southside, in particular, remain visibly untouched by high-speed landlines. All told, some 22 percent of Virginia homes don’t have access to the Internet, according to U.S. Census data and a 2011 study by Virginia Commonwealth University. Add in the availability of mobile broadband from wireless providers, though, and the map of Virginia largely fills in. Since the Internet became a part of mainstream life in the late 1990s, policymakers have expressed concern that poorer and more rural areas ran the risk of being left behind. Now growing evidence suggests that a combination of smartphones and other handheld devices, cellular broadband and Wi-Fi are becoming a growing part of the solution. While you’d expect smartphones to proliferate among the welleducated and well-off, they’ve also become a fixture among lowincome, minority households. According to a July study by the Pew Internet & American Life project, 44 percent of African Americans and Hispanics now own a smartphone. And the majority of people who rely only on their smartphones to access the Internet are lowincome minorities younger than 30, according to Pew. “For businesses, government agencies and nonprofits who want to engage with certain communities, they will find them in front of a four-inch screen, not in front of a big computer in their den,” said Aaron Smith, a researcher at Pew and author of the report. Telecom companies are also helping bridge the divide. Verizon Wireless, for example, is leasing its 4G LTE spectrum to rural carriers to help spread next-generation broadband to under-served areas. Sprint and Comcast provide low-income households with low-cost wireless and Internet access. Just as importantly, they are supporting school-and community-based programs to help them learn how to use technology. A low-income neighborhood in Falls Church is an example of such a program. Last May, Cox partnered with Fairfax County to provide discounted high-speed broadband service and refurbished computers to the homes of school-aged children in Kinglsey Commons, while the county’s school and community services departments provided training programs for their families. Addressing the digital divide is “not just about whether people have access or whether or not they even own a computer,” says Kyle McSlarrow, president of Comcast/NBC Universal in Washington, D.C. “Digital literacy and helping people understand the unbelievable opportunities that are actually present is really an important part.” nvtc Mark Toner is a Reston-based business and technology writer. (Un)wired Virginia Developed by the Center for Innovative Technology, The Virginia Information Technologies Agency and Virginia Tech, this map of statewide broadband availability illustrates the impact wireless broadband has played in extending access, particularly in rural areas. At top/left, areas with landline-based broadband availability are in pink. At bottom/right, the areas in blue show how wireless broadband has filled in significant areas where wired service is not available. Virginia Secretary of Technology Jim Duffey says it is critical to “strategically align resources and pursue collaborative efforts between public and private organizations to expand broadband coverage across the Commonwealth.” Source: Virginia Office of Telework Promotion & Broadband Assistance 20 THE VOICE OF TECHNOLOGY www.nvtc.org Fall 2011
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Page 3 and 4: Your data center coming up short? N
Page 5 and 6: A M E S S A G E F R O M B O B B I E
Page 7 and 8: P E R S P E C T I V E S Mobile Comp
Page 9 and 10: NVTC Members Appointed to State Inv
Page 11 and 12: Board Member Company Noblis to Esta
Page 13 and 14: A I S Network NVTC members have a u
Page 15 and 16: which attendees learned from expert
Page 17 and 18: COVER STORY Telecom Today: A NEw wO
Page 19 and 20: VERIZON SMARTPHONES. Twice as fast
Page 21: TelecoM Today: a New woRld of NeTwo
Page 25 and 26: Q&A NVTC sat down with Sprint Chief
Page 27 and 28: Q&A with Bob Johnson, Mike Maiorana
Page 29 and 30: Sprint Is the #1 Most Improved Comp
Page 31 and 32: Q&A with Bob Johnson, Mike Maiorana
Page 33 and 34: orge the Future of Wireless p Virgi
Page 35 and 36: WAMU.ORG Accredited Investors: Spot
Page 37 and 38: Ten years ago I was: In Pittsburgh,
Page 39 and 40: Kathryn Wolf, Courtney Burke, Mike
Page 41 and 42: N E W M E M B E R S as of 08/31/11
Page 44: WHAT YOUR BUSINESS NEEDS. WHATEVER

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