Better broadband is needed

By Gordon Smith

, Jul 24, 2008, Updated Oct 30, 2009

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Remember the ‘80s, when the fax machine was the fastest way to send documents across town? When wireless phones were considered luxury items, hardly affordable or practical. And the Internet? If you even knew it existed, it could take half the day loading a single Web page.

In just two decades, we have come a long way.

The fax machine has been replaced by Internet services that speed documents across the world in seconds.

In fact, most consumers carry affordable wireless devices in the palm of their hand that harness the power of the Internet to stay connected with friends, family and co-workers while on the go. And Web pages appear almost simultaneously with the click of a mouse.

These advances we now depend on for everyday life are possible thanks to broadband investment, also known as high speed Internet.

Companies across our nation are investing billions of dollars each year to build these new high speed networks.

In Oregon, next generation fiber-optic pipes are being routed right into our living rooms, giving us the fastest Web-surfing speeds in the country.

Investment in these robust pipes brings the world to Oregon’s doorstep. High speed Internet connections enable folks from East County to communicate with the remote corners of the world more quickly than it takes to get a package up the road to Portland.

Investment in broadband pays other dividends as well. Growing numbers of commuters are jumping off Interstate 5 to telecommute efficiently from their homes, keeping our communities greener by reducing traffic and congestion on our roads.

High speed broadband networks also enable a specialist in Chicago to diagnose a medical condition in Troutdale in just minutes.

Those same pipes allow folks in Fairview to enroll in long distance learning programs from prestigious universities across the globe. In short, broadband is changing the way Oregonians do just about everything.

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