BusinessTN

Last February, BTN made a strong call for greater cyber-infrastructure, or broadband access, across Tennessee for the sake of business and research in the state. In the 12 months that have passed, some good things have occurred. Gov. Phil Bredesen has steadily increased the volume of his own call for improved broadband as an economic driver and quality of life objective for the state. And the State Broadband Task Force, a panel of telecommunication executives and legislators, recently completed and submitted to the state General Assembly a year-long report that urges Tennessee to follow Kentucky’s lead and create a public-private technology partnership to promote more and better broadband usage.

Nationally speaking, however, Tennessee has arguably slipped further behind its competition in the broadband race. The Government Accounting Office issued a report last year ranking Tennessee 37th overall in the availability of high-speed, always on Internet. Meanwhile, other states aren’t standing still. California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger recently signed an executive order intended to make the Golden State a leader in the telecommunications revolution not just by designating a state agency to take the lead but by taking other rubber-on-road measures like streamlining expedited right-of-way permitting procedures and establishing a pricing policy for private companies paying for right-of-way access to state roads.

Being compared unfavorably to California will no doubt spur many in Tennessee to want to do more to improve broadband access in our state. But the introduction of a potential new player in the broadband race might serve as greater accelerant.

A California company called Nethercomm is currently working on a way to send wireless signals through natural gas pipes while the pipe is also delivering gas fuel. Natural gas piping already reaches over 70% of American households and over 35% of businesses. Though a largely untested and under-funded idea, more and more technology experts are beginning to publicly endorse the soundness of the physics behind Broadband in Gas (BiG) and to call for increased testing and investment. It certainly has the capability of producing a new revenue opportunity for natural gas delivery companies. One recent study found that BiG could add nearly 20 million subscribers by 2010.

In this month’s edition, BTN looks at two other critical economic development issues facing all Tennesseans—water and smart growth. Both issues are forward-leaning matters to which timely attention will help defuse problems before they blossom into resource-absorbing crises. As such, each deserves a hard look by the powers that be in Tennessee’s business and political spheres. While contemplating those, however, let’s not lose sight of the cyber-infrastructure dilemma still percolating beneath our feet. As Tennessee lawmakers convene their work this month, and Bredesen settles in to his second term, the time appears ripe for real progress.