INDIANAPOLIS - State Senator Jim Arnold (D-LaPorte) says he supports the expansion of high speed internet access, known as broadband internet access, and believes it is critical to Indiana's success in attracting new jobs. Arnold recently attended Connecting Rural Indiana 2008: Policy, Programs, Progress, a conference on Indiana's broadband development in Indianapolis. The meeting was presented by the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs.

"The availability of broadband connections makes our communities more desirable for businesses and families," Arnold said. "Every area of the state can benefit from this infrastructure."

According to a 2007 report by the Brookings Institution, for each one percentage point increase in broadband penetration in a state, employment is projected to increase by 0.2 to 0.3 percent per year.

"The reality is that we need it to support nearly every sector of our economy, including healthcare facilities and research universities, as well as the growing demand for everyday residential use," Arnold added.

In 2007 a coalition of public and private organizations in the state was awarded $16.1 million from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Rural Health Care Pilot Program to provide a high speed internet connection between Indiana's 35 rural critical access hospitals. The FCC grant provides 85% of the funding needed for the project. The General Assembly established the Rural Health Care Pilot Program Support Fund to provide the remaining 15% from money state appropriations, private gifts, grants, and bequests.

For more information on Sen. Arnold or other State Senate business, call 1-800-382-9467 or visit http://www.senatedemocrats.in.gov/.  

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