WASHINGTON, DC - Broadband for America - a coalition of more than 200 members - today hosted a broadband and job creation forum with Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling and numerous other state and local dignitaries.

The forum focused on the different ways broadband Internet is creating both jobs and opportunities in The Old Dominion. Broadband represents growth and economic development in the Commonwealth of Virginia, as well as the nation as a whole.     

"Broadband access in the 21st Century is what access to an Interstate Highway was to the 20th Century.   Communities that can provide their citizens, businesses and schools with high-speed access to the Internet are going to be the communities with a stronger business environment, better-paying and more secure jobs, and real opportunities for their students," said Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling.  

The broadband and information technology sectors created nearly half of all new jobs in 2008 and contribute nearly $1 trillion to the nation's economy annually. The major network providers have invested $100 billion in the past two years in their networks, so at a time when most industrial centers have been reducing their workforces, the broadband industry has been growing.

"Broadband Internet represents both an absolutely critical lifeline today and infinite growth opportunity tomorrow," said Dave McClure, President of the U.S. Internet Industry Association (USIIA) and member of Broadband for America. "In the Commonwealth, we understand that the increase in jobs and revenue is directly attributable to the growth in broadband."

Broadband for America (BfA) is a growing coalition of over 200 members ranging from independent consumer advocacy groups, to content and application providers, to the companies which build and maintain the Internet. The complete BfA membership list is available at: http://www.broadbandforamerica.com/about/members    

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