[1st-mile-nm] OEDC Report

[Andrew Cohill]

On Apr 29, 2007, at 2:11 PM, Richard Lowenberg wrote:
>
> Though the U.S. is woefully behind in 'real broadband' deployment and
> services, it is worth looking at the entire global snapshot that the
> report provides.    A networked society is by its nature,  
> simultaneously
> local and global.

the "local and global" phenomenon is interesting.  I was in a small  
rural town last week that has lost most of its manufacturing jobs.   
We were talking to them about a fiber project that would make the  
town more attractive to knowledge economy companies.  But as we  
walked around the small downtown, the city official pointed out two  
local businesses that were doing very well.

One was one of these "teddy bear" businesses that makes custom teddy  
bears and sells them online and by phone, and ships all over the  
country.  The second was even more interesting.  It was a businessman  
who has containers of very expensive antique furniture shipped by the  
container load from Germany (and only from Germany), and then sells  
the furniture online to mostly U.S. customers.

Both businesses provide employment for several people, and are in no  
way the kind of business that would be on the radar of traditional  
economic development strategies.  But those were the businesses  
providing employment--local employment and working globally.

Andrew

-------------------------------------------------
Andrew Michael Cohill, Ph.D.
President
Design Nine, Inc.

Design Nine provides visionary broadband architecture and engineering  
services, telecommunications and broadband master planning, and  
broadband project management.

Visit the Technology Futures blog for frequently updated news and  
commentary on technology issues.
  http://www.designnine.com/news/

http://www.designnine.com/
Blacksburg, Virginia
540.951.4400