Connected Nation Previews Interactive Broadband Mapping Tool at Technology Policy Exhibition in Washington, D.C.

Andy Blair from George Washington University asks Connected Tennessee’s Michael Ramage for more detail about interactive broadband coverage maps while Sabrina Matteson, a representative from the American Farm Bureau Federation, observes the presentation. Connected Nation, in conjunction with ESRI, a market leader in geographic information system (GIS) software, showcased its jointly developed new interactive mapping tool for viewing, analyzing, and validating …

Iowa gets broadband boost with aid of grant

by Chris Conetzkey/Des Moines Business NewsThe state of Iowa will receive a matching federal grant worth $2.2 million to help fund a broadband Internet mapping and planning initiative that could help close the digital divide in Iowa by bringing the benefits of high-speed Internet access to the unserved and underserved areas of the state.Link to article here.

Internet mapping project to be updated

By Bob Zientara/The Ames Tribune: On a hot August afternoon just outside the Ames city limits, two technicians met at a power pole along Arrasmith Trail. One of them was John Determan, a senior WIMAX engineering consultant. Link to article

Broadband Lets You Take Advantage of the Holiday Sales Without Leaving Your Home

Why stand in line when you can shop online?For more than half of the households surveyed in Connect Iowa’s 2010 Residential Technology Assessment, shopping online may be the way to go to avoid the long lines on Black Friday. In a survey of 1,200 Iowa adults, 56% reported that they use broadband to shop for goods or services online.This number is very likely …

Internet upgrades keep rural Iowans in loop

By Kyle Munson/Des Moines RegisterAnn Borseth cracks as many as 50 patients’ backs per week in a converted chicken coop that serves as her Country Chiropractic office on her acreage northeast of Truro. High-speed online access has become almost a necessity in her daily life, even in this pastoral rural setting along a gravel road….…The nonprofit Connect Iowa in conjunction …

USDA rural broadband loan program updated

The USDA today released new information for applicants for its broadband loan program for rural areas. The program is designed to provide loans for the costs of construction, improvement, and acquisition of facilities and equipment to provide broadband service to eligible rural communities. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that the USDA has issued a Notice of Solicitations of Applications and regulations implementing the …

Study: High-speed Internet the connection to greater Iowa revenues

by Donnelle Eller/ Des Moines RegisterIowa businesses with broadband connections are likely to generate more revenue, a new report today shows.Businesses with high-speed Internet connections have median annual revenues of about $600,000, nearly $300,000 more than businesses without broadband, said Connect Iowa, a group partnering with the Iowa Department of Economic Development to inventory and map broadband use.Read more from Study: High-speed …

In Advance of the Ames Straw Poll, Iowans Connect With Their Government Online

By Chris McGovern, Manager of Research Development with Connected Nation   Tomorrow, Republican presidential candidates are going to be reaching out to potential voters at the Ames Straw Poll. While the Straw Poll (which has been called a cross between a “political convention and a county fair”) has been going on for over two decades, a portion of Iowans are using …

230,000 Iowa Residents Telework from Home

By Dev Joshi, Research Analyst at Connected NationBroadband is an important tool that affects how we live, work, and play. For example, according to new research conducted by Connect Iowa, 16% of employed adult Iowans use the Internet to telework instead of commuting – that translates into approximately 230,000 Iowans who go online instead of dealing with the added cost, …