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Businesses with high-speed Internet connections have median annual revenues of about $600,000, nearly $300,000 more than businesses without broadband, said Connect Iowa, a group partnering with the Iowa Department of Economic Development to inventory and map broadband use. Their report shows that 72 percent, or about 60,000 Iowa companies, have broadband access; 22 percent, or 18,000 businesses, have no Internet access; 6 percent, about 5,000 companies, have either use dial-up or are unsure whether their Internet is broadband.

Findings from the 2010 survey show a significant correlation between high-speed Internet adoption and a business’s bottom line, the group said. Among the results:

• Fifty-two percent, or 43,000 Iowa businesses, have a Website. Median annual revenues among businesses that use broadband and have a Website are double the state average of $400,000.
• Thirty-one percent of Internet-connected businesses, about 21,000 statewide, say they earn revenues through online sales and transactions.
• Broadband can enable job creation and enhance quality of life. Eighteen percent, or 15,000 Iowa companies, let employees telework.
• Professional and financial services and manufacturing lead in broadband adoption, with 14,000 companies using high-speed Internet. Both sectors had adoption rates over 80 percent and exceed national rates. Only 62 percent of health-care service companies are using broadband, nearly equal the national rate.
• The median monthly cost that Iowa businesses pay for broadband is $62.

The Filter Bubble
What the Internet is Hiding From You

New America Foundation
Monday, June 13, 2011
2:45 p.m. - 4:15 p.m.

In The Filter Bubble, a clear, energetic, and incisive narrative, Eli Pariser shows how the personalization of the internet is affecting our relationships, our ideas, and even our democracy. Praised by the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal, The Filter Bubble explains how the architecture of the internet is evolving to match our interests and filtering out information that might challenge our opinions. Pariser lays bare the algorithmic logic of search engines that have begun to return only the information they think we want to see -- and the hidden consequences of the way the internet works.

featured speaker
Eli Pariser
Former Executive Director of MoveOn.org
Author, The Filter Bubble

moderator
Steve Clemons
Washington Editor at Large, The Atlantic
Senior Fellow, American Strategy Program, New America Foundation

To RSVP for the event:
http://newamerica.net/events/2011/the_filter_bubble

For questions, contact Stephanie Gunter at (202) 596-3367 or gunter@newamerica.net

The Senate Commerce Committee approved the Public Safety Spectrum and Wireless Innovation Act (S 911) by a vote of 21-4.

The bill would help build a nationwide communications network for first responders. The bill allocates the D block of spectrum, reclaimed from broadcasters in the digital television transition, to a public safety network rather than auctioning the spectrum for a public-private partnership. The bill allows broadcasters and other spectrum licensees to voluntarily remit back unused portions of the airwaves. The freed up spectrum would be re-auctioned for commercial wireless broadband use in exchange for a portion of the proceeds through “incentive auctions.” The costs to build the public safety network will be offset by the proceeds of incentive auctions, and the surplus revenue will go toward deficit reduction.

During the markup, detractors focused on what they see as the unnecessarily high costs of building the public safety network through the approach in the bill, which gives away spectrum to public safety agencies rather than auctioning it to commercial providers, who could then share their networks with emergency groups. Those who voted against the bill described it as a squandered opportunity to reduce the deficit through auction revenue.

Key Provisions of the Public Safety Spectrum and Wireless Innovation Act:

• Establish a framework for the deployment of a nationwide, interoperable, wireless broadband network for public safety.
• Allocate 10 megahertz of spectrum, known as the “D-block,” to public safety.
• Direct the FCC to establish standards that allow public safety officials, when not using the network, to lease capacity on a secondary, but preemptible basis to non-public safety entities.
• Provide the FCC with incentive auction authority, which allows existing spectrum licensees to voluntarily relinquish their airwaves in exchange for a portion of the proceeds of the commercial auction of their spectrum. This provides new incentives for efficient use of spectrum. In addition, the funds from these incentive auctions, in conjunction with funds from the auction of other specified spectrum bands, and funds earned from leasing the public safety network on a secondary basis, will be used to fund the construction and maintenance of the nationwide, interoperable, wireless broadband public safety network.
• Direct the National Science Foundation and the National Institute of Standards and Technology to conduct cutting edge research into transformative wireless technologies.
• Surplus revenue from spectrum auctions, estimated to be more than $10 billion, will be directed to the U.S. Treasury for deficit reduction.

Senate Republicans continued mounting their opposition to Commerce Secretary nominee John Bryson.

Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY), vice chairman of the Senate Republican Conference, is circulating a memo which says the Commerce Department "needs an economic leader, not an environmental activist." "Mr. Bryson is not the right person for this job. America needs a Commerce Secretary who is more focused on free trade -- not cap and trade -- especially with our current economic challenges," said Sen Barrasso. The memo cited Bryson's founding of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and moderate support of cap-and-trade legislation pursued by Reps. Henry Waxman (D-CA) and Ed Markey (D-MA) three years ago as reasons to oppose the nomination. "The president should nominate a pro-growth business leader who will help the department fulfill its mission of making American businesses more innovative at home and more competitive abroad."

By nominating Bryson, a former CEO with extensive ties to corporate America, President Barack Obama continued his aggressive courtship of the business community, which began almost immediately after Democrats lost their House majority last year. The fight over trade represents the first hurdle for Bryson’s nomination. The Administration supports free trade agreements with Korea, Colombia and Panama, but has refused to send them to Congress until Republicans agree to extend the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) program, which provides healthcare and economic assistance to workers who lose their jobs because of increased trade. Business groups, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, have called for the approval of the trade agreements as well as the assistance program and other trade preferences to be approved. Senate Republicans are saying they want the trade deals and TAA to be handled separately.