What Are the Benefits of High-Speed Internet?

What Are the Benefits of High-Speed Internet? DECEMBER 17, 2015 The benefits of high-speed internet are wide reaching. When a person sits down at a computer connected to high-speed internet, they might not realize how their lifestyle has changed thanks to this luxury. Girl With Computer On an individual level, look at the simple task of web browsing at fast speeds. You scroll through pages and websites without having your hair turn gray while you wait for each page to load. Downloading pictures, music, data, drivers, or software upgrades takes a fraction of the time it took with dial-up or even DLS. And one very important advantage is the ability to have multiple users without losing in your high speed. One of the needs of high-speed internet is streaming videos shows via Netflix. Or YouTube, Pandora, Facebook, Twitter, Slacker Radio, gaming, downloading books, home security systems… It would not be possible or convenient without high-speed internet. Huge amounts of information can quickly be moved. With Triple play packages, you can get TV, phone and internet all with one high-speed cable. Where high-speed internet really gets exciting is when we stop looking at ourselves. When we realize how much it benefits our country, the world, and the increase in the quality of life for all… It touches so many areas in our lives. Some of which you do not even realize until you need the many important services that it can provide. Let us look at a few of them: Mobile Banking Economic Growth and Job Quality. When we expand our access to high-speed internet, we also expand economic growth and accelerate job creation. When a town or city provides access to high-speed internet, it first attracts businesses to your area. Within the business, it increases the innovation process and opens the door for e-commerce. It also crosses the borders between urban and rural areas. It allows both to participate in economic growth. Studies show that for each additional $5 billion spent investing in broadband networks it creates 250,000 in both direct and indirect jobs. These jobs involving broadband expansion pay 42-percent higher wages than other manufacturing jobs in the U.S. Stethoscope Health Care. Health care costs continue to rise. The potential here is enormous. Hospitals and doctors can exchange images during surgery. It does not matter no matter where the patient is located. Now the patient can receive the care they need, when they need it. The ability for a specialist, located thousands of miles away, to participate in the surgery can save lives. A study from the University of Texas Medical Branch estimates that the U.S. health care system can save $4.28 billion dollars if they don’t need to transfer patients from one facility to another. Classroom K-12 Education. High-speed internet helps students from Kindergarten to Graduate school. All students can benefit. Students with little or no internet access during their elementary years can lag behind others. Broadband enhances the curriculum at every grade level with interactive applications. Students can take virtual field trips. Or they can hold discussions between different schools. A classroom in Texas can discuss topics with a school from New Hampshire. A specialist can hold class for several schools at once, with interaction for all. Let’s not leave the parents out… How about a parent-teacher conference over the internet? Distance Learning Distance Learning. This can be looked at from two perspectives. The first is on-the-job training where you can sit at a computer and train for your job. This saves both time and transportation costs. The second is at the individual level. A student or employee can have access to college courses at the university of their choice, to further one’s education or for job advancement. The education can be self-paced. Flexible hours allow students with job or family responsibilities to still attend classes. The two-way communication allows the students and instructors to interact with one another. Specialists in their fields can “lecture” students from anywhere in the world. That allows students to have access to resources never before available. Students in rural communities can have access to libraries miles away. It levels the playing field with city dwelling students. Senior Citizens. Having access to the internet can help seniors live independently, improve their quality of life, and better keep in touch with loved ones. Monitoring health care from a distance can save on doctor visits. A Veterans Administration program called Telehealth can save thousands of dollars per patient, per year. It reduces hospital stays and nursing home visits. High-speed access allows seniors to use new government tools for Medicare or taxes. Seniors can interact with their children and grandchildren via emails and photos. Or better yet live video chats for graduations, birthday parties, etc. Banking is also a growing market. Now you can pay bills, transfer funds, or even deposit checks without ever leaving your home. PNC Bank just announced they are closing some banks because of online banking’s popularity. High-speed internet can become a senior’s lifeline to the outside world. E-Government and Civic Participation. While online services may not totally replace the quality of service from a face-to-face meeting with a skilled government worker, the internet can save time and money. Online renewing of your vehicle registration or your driver’s license is one way. Paying your taxes from local to state to federal, downloading a form that needs sending in, or contacting a representative… All made so much easier with high-speed internet. Access agencies or organizations that you have an interest in. Become more involved by joining online. Participate in the meetings. Vote on topics. Or video chat and actually “attend” the meeting from your own living room. Public Safety. High-speed internet plays a vital role from local emergency services to homeland security. Faster connections allow first responders to get maps. View underground utilities. View building plans. View live video feeds from cameras. And allow multiple agencies to view info at the same time in a joint effort. A picture from a cellphone is uploaded and searched in a national database. At the same time it scans fingerprints or retinas. Remote surveillance at borders, airports, and train stations all help the public servants do a better job. Enable People With Disabilities. High-speed internet empowers us. Can you imagine what it can do for people with a disability? It can help remove the barriers of the disabled by allowing two-way voice or video chats. Or enable them to participate in education, employment, and make social connections. And this involvement is a two-way street. It allows us to benefit from their increased contributions. Live streaming video and instant text communication allow the deaf and blind, a chance to be empowered. Video Relay Services (VRS) allow the deaf to do real time “speaking” via sign language and interrupters and the internet can substitute the need for difficult commutes to doctors, schools, or jobs. Coffee Shop Digital Literacy. A term that came from the age of high-speed internet. It means having the skills to use a computer or to navigate the internet. Just as being able to read a book allows one to participate more in society, so does digital literacy allow the user to get the most out of the system. As more and more services go online, having the ability to use them becomes paramount in order for you to benefit. When younger, it can help with the quality of your education. As you grow older, it will help you compete for better jobs in the work place. One does not have to work in the IT department to benefit from the internet. Many jobs require you to apply for them online. Engineers, draftsmen, accounting, library jobs, and banking, to name a few. When your entire family is digital literate, it can strengthen family ties across continents. I hope you are now excited about high-speed internet. One does not have to be a geek to reap the rewards. I have used several words in describing the benefits of the internet. Participation, removing barriers, empowering, learning equality, and benefits. All words on how broadband rewards us. It helps level the playing field. Young and old, urban and city, poor, rich, enabled and disabled alike can benefit. And when these groups benefit our entire society benefits helping to make the world more accessible and interesting. Think how dull our lives or world would be without high-speed internet.