MA Broadband Ranked 2nd Best in the Nation
Monday, December 10, 2012
Washington topped the list, driven by an economy that has a strong orientation toward information and communication technology and apps development. Massachusetts came in second, with its cluster of universities and tech companies. Delaware was third thanks to its high network quality and concentration of corporate headquarters reliant on broadband connectivity.
Vermont was the only other New England state to crack the top 10, ranking 7th in the country for its broadband access and infrastructure.
“Massachusetts is a world leader in the innovation economy because of our infrastructure investments and broadband expansion is a key part of that strategy," said Governor Deval Patrick.
"We are committed to ensuring dependable, high-speed Internet access is available to every home and business in the Commonwealth by June 2013. This study reaffirms the importance of our partnerships with private industries and Massachusetts’ leadership in the areas of broadband development and innovation.”
The report, the “TechNet 2012 State Broadband Index: Where States Rank as They Look to High Speed Connectivity to Grow Strong Economies and Vibrant Communities,” found that states actively investing in and utilizing broadband networks saw stronger economic growth, better connected communities and enhanced quality of life.
The study took a quantitative approach to ranking each state based upon their efforts to improve the broadband climate through the development of TechNet's index, which includes data on adoption, network speeds, and economic structure.
“The TechNet State Broadband Index highlights the important role of the states in determining our nation’s broadband future,” said Rey Ramsey, President and CEO of TechNet.
“Simply put, broadband is the foundation for our nation’s continued technology and economic leadership. Broadband is shown to help create economic growth, job creation and many other benefits. We applaud all the states at the top of this index for their leadership in building the broadband infrastructure that is helping deliver economic success and improved quality of life for millions of our fellow citizens.”
Massachusetts has been ahead of the game for over a decade, boasting a 9-percent broadband adoption rate back in 2000, the highest in the country. Since then, the Massachusetts Broadband Institute (MBI) at the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, a public agency formed in by Patrick's administration in 2008, has used state and federal funds to attract private sector investment in building fiber networks and, and TechNet cited the organization as a driving force behind the Commonwealth's top ranking.
“Broadband adoption in Massachusetts is truly a collaborative effort among the MBI, local, state and federal government and private partners,” said Judith Dumont, Director of the MBI.
“We have developed a success strategy for delivering broadband to the hardest to serve residents and businesses in underserved towns, by directly investing in new infrastructure and leveraging private sector investment. I believe the TechNet study illustrates how this strategy is working.”
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