December 29, 2003
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| Study predicts major boost to Illinois economy and job market |
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With Illinois losing 17,400 high tech jobs in 2002, a recent study from Citizens for a Sound Economy(CSE-a grassroots organization promoting common-sense economic policies) shows that widespread broadband deployment in Illinois would create 50,600 new jobs in telecommunications and related fields, and create $22.5 billion in new economic output. Moreover, this increase would come at no cost for Illinois taxpayers or the federal government.
"While the Federal Communications Commission is moving in the right direction to promote wider broadband access, more work is still needed to remove barriers to deployment," said Dr. Brough(chief economist of the CSE Freedom Works Foundation and author of the study). "Remove the regulatory barriers and Illinois's high-tech revolution begins again," he said.
The telecommunications sector -- the key to widespread broadband deployment-has suffered dramatically since the year 2000, losing 683,000 jobs nationwide and $2 trillion in market capitalization. In November alone, more jobs were cut from the nation's telecom sector than in any other economic sector -- the second time in 2003 that telecom has set the country's benchmark for job loss.
The study indicates that widespread rollout of broadband would create about 23,400 new jobs in Illinois in the telecom sector itself-great news for laid-off tech workers in the Prairie State. These jobs would be matched by another 27,200 "spillover" jobs in related businesses.
As well as economically, widespread broadband deployment would benefit the state socially. With the availability of the high-speed Internet, hospitals can provide the latest technologies in health care to patients located in rural areas, with little access to local health care. Schools can provide new opportunities for students with few local options to further their education. And, in an aging society, the Internet provides the elderly greater opportunities for independent living.
The study cites statistics showing less than a third of American households now have high-speed Internet access. According to the study, a consistent regulatory playing field for broadband will encourage use and invigorate an industry that is critical to economic growth and job creation, and touch numerous other industries.
Copies of the study are available at www.cse.org PR
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