Today’s Broadband for America hosted a web chat with Robert W. Crandall and Hal J. Singer, both experts in the economics of the telecommunications industry. Crandall and Singer are the authors of a new study which shows the massive investments made in mobile and wired Internet capacity by the major network providers have created hundreds of thousands of jobs over the past six years.

Here are some highlights from the chat:

Question: Even in the current economic downturn, broadband investment has remained steady. Do you expect those private investments to accelerate as the economy improves and what is the overall future of private investment in broadband technologies?        

Robert W. Crandall: Yes, we expect broadband investment to accelerate as the economy recovers if regulators do not impose onerous new regulations.

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Question: Looks like distance learning was mentioned briefly in the report. What are your thoughts regarding the economic impact of distance learning via broadband?         

Hal J. Singer: Given the cost pressures in education, broadband could allow teachers to lecture more widely and to employ a broader tool kit. This is another really exciting area

You can read their full study here and more highlights from our chat here.