Chicago leads in Internet accessibility.

• Position: Your Life - Brief Article

With the growth of the digital economy, a "Big 7" of U.S. cities has emerged as leaders in Internet network accessibility, according to an Ohio State University, Columbus, study. These cities, all of which are among the nation's largest, will continue to reap economic benefits because of their telecommunications advantage, researchers say. The Big 7 are, in order of accessibilty, Chicago, Washington, Dallas, Atlanta, New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.

"The digital economy is built on accessibility to the Internet, and cities that have the most-developed Internet infrastructure will have an economic advantage," explains Morton O'Kelly, coauthor of the study and a professor of geography. Chicago was ranked first because it has the most total Internet paths available between it and every other city. Chicago leads the nation in part because it is one of the nation's original network access points--locations where Internet service providers interconnect and exchange data flow. Chicago...