The Daily Times in Salisbury, Maryland recently ran an interesting article about the importance of broadband Internet service to economic development in the local community.

The article profiles Ian McLaughlin, who says he is able to work from home is because he now travels to and from work via the Internet. He is able to call himself a telecommuter because he has fast, reliable and affordable Internet access—not something everyone in his area can claim. He feels so strongly about the importance of broadband Internet access, he frequently attends local government meetings regarding the subject.

Two separate but connected broadband initiatives are now underway in the area that are seeking to address rural broadband access. One is a $16-million project aimed at building a new fiber optic cable down the spine of the Shore from the Maryland line, past Wallops and south across the bridge-tunnel to Norfolk.

However, some feel that the initiatives will help business more than average Internet users.

"The project being funded from Richmond is not really aimed at domestic uses at all," McLaughlin said. "It is really aimed at putting lower cost high-speed applications here to allow existing business and entrepreneurial-type applications, but also to stimulate new business growth."

The article goes on to give a brief history of broadband Internet access, including the impact of Verizon and NASA on the issue. Also mentioned is the Mid-Atlantic Broadband Cooperative, a group responsible for funding, acquiring and building a broadband network in southside and southwest Virginia, including 700 miles of fiber to 20 counties and more than 60 business, technology and industrial parks.

For more information, check out the full article BROADBAND 101: Broadband important for economic development