FCC Chief Calls for Gigabit Internet in All 50 States By 2015 | cross pond high tech | Scoop.it
From www.cio.com - January 21, 2013 6:17 PM

"There should be at least one community per state with 1Gbps Internet, to drive innovation, Genachowski said..."

 

Cities around the U.S. will have gigabit-speed Internet access by 2015 if the FCC's wishes come true.

 

All 50 states should have at least one community where consumers can get 1Gbps or faster Internet access by 2015, U.S. Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski said on Friday. Speaking at the U.S. Conference of Mayors Winter Meeting in Washington, D.C., he called the new push for fast networks the Gigabit City Challenge.

 

Gigabit-speed Internet access stimulates technology innovation and associated economic growth, Genachowski said.

"The U.S. needs a critical mass of gigabit communities nationwide so that innovators can develop next-generation applications and services that will drive economic growth and global competitiveness," Genachowski said, according to an FCC press release. He cited Google's new network in Kansas City and a fiber network built by a local utility in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where he said Amazon.com and other companies have created more than 3,700 new jobs over the past three years.