Opinion: In a Broadband World, Weather Shouldn't Matter

(March 5) -- Over the past two days, economists have discounted a flurry of economic news -- including Friday's jobless report that saw 36,000 jobs shed in February -- as the result of unexpected snowstorms, and their aftermath, distorting the statistics. Undoubtedly they are correct. February's historic snowfalls crippled business activity.

But in a broadband economy, this shouldn't be the case. And it wouldn't be if the country would make a more concerted effort to get every American plugged in to a high-speed connection.

High-speed Internet connections are helping to change the meaning of a snow day -- serving as a vital tool to keep Americans working, even when the roads, public transportation and airports are not. For those who could go online from home during the storms, it was largely business as usual.

But clearly not enough could. The "Snowmageddon" of 2010 forced federal offices to shut their doors for days, resulting in an astounding loss of money and productivity. It's been estimated that closing the government for just one day costs taxpayers roughly $100 million. If you factor in the business shutdowns in the private sector, it is easy to see that these storms exacted a high cost on the nation as whole.

The problem is that currently about a third of the population doesn't have a broadband connection, and one in five don't have any Internet connection at all.

The Federal Communications Commission is trying to close this gap with a $350 billion privately financed endeavor, according to a September 2009 FCC report.

But the FCC must remain focused on a national broadband strategy and not burdensome distractions, including net neutrality regulations, that would hinder private investment in the build-out of broadband infrastructure.

What's needed are tax policies that encourage acquisition of broadband devices and services, regulatory policies that invite billions in sustained private investment to all areas of the county, and workforce policies that gives employers a way to keep business moving under any circumstance.

Keeping workers connected despite forces beyond their control will not only enable productivity but also help boost our economy and job market. We no longer operate in a brick-and-mortar economy. For many Americans, including a large percentage of government workers, jobs can be performed anywhere, anytime, as long as they can get online.

This investment in broadband will also create jobs in the Internet sector. In fact, the broadband/information technology sectors created nearly half of all new American jobs in 2008, according to Jeffrey Eisenach of Empiris.

And it will help create jobs more broadly. In fact, communities with new access to broadband experienced 6.4 percent higher employment growth, on average, than they did before getting broadband, according to a recently Democratic Leadership Council study that used data from 1999 to 2006. The February report notes, "There is enormous potential for job creation if we expand broadband deployment and upgrade existing infrastructure."

Policymakers and regulators at the FCC should take note of what happened in February and look to foster a climate that will encourage more investment in expanding the reach and availability of broadband technology.

In a broadband era, our government and our economy should be able to function come rain, sleet or snow.

Bruce Mehlman is co-chairman of the Internet Innovation Alliance.