INDIANAPOLIS - According to Indiana Senate Democratic Leader Richard Young (D-Milltown), Indiana is moving in the right direction by bringing high speed internet access to homes, hospitals and businesses in rural areas of the state. Young attended Connecting Rural Indiana 2008: Policy, Programs, Progress, a conference on Indiana's broadband development last week in Indianapolis. The meeting was presented by the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs.
"Indiana's ability to attract jobs in the new economy is strengthened with each investment in broadband deployment," Young commented. "We are essentially adding broadband access to the recipe of utilities, transportation and workforce infrastructure that strengthens Indiana's competitive economic position."
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.
Bringing high speed internet access to rural hospitals is a critical component of the state's push to expand connectivity. Telemedicine has developed to allow simultaneous record sharing and real-time medical consultations to take place between hospitals hundreds of miles apart.
"High speed access in our rural hospitals can literally mean life or death for Hoosiers," Young explained. "Local doctors and nurses can tap into the expertise of medical specialists at other advanced, research hospitals and provide high quality care to patients within the community."
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. Young, his legislative agenda or other State Senate business call 1-800-382-9467 or visit www.senatedemocrats.in.gov.
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