Study: Broadband Technologies Could Spur Huge Job Growth

A new report says widespread adoption of broadband technologies could boost the number of U.S. jobs by some 1.2 million over the next decade. The study, conducted by consulting firm Criterion Economics LLC, Washington, D.C., "documents what many others have only hinted at qualitatively," says Criterion Economics Senior Vice President Hal Singer. "The 1.2 million jobs reflect the economywide stimulus that results from telephone and cable industries competing to roll out DSL and cable modem service, and gradually to roll out advanced broadband service to residential and small business customers, assuming they were constrained only by consumer demand and underlying costs." The estimated benefits assume not only that incumbent cable operators have an incentive to invest "but also elimination of common carrier regulations." A pdf version of the 27-page report can be downloaded at www.criterioneconomics.com/documents/ubiquitous_broadband_adoption.pdf