Wired and inspired: economic benefit of fiber-to-the-premises investment.

• Position: VIEWPOINT

FORT WAYNE IS ONE OF the first cities in the Midwest to have fiber-optic broadband services for households, small businesses and schools. We are a wired and inspired city that uses broadband to change lives. We are making fiber-to-the-premises an important component of innovative business investments that will make Fort Wayne a technology and business leader.

The economic benefits of fiber-to-the-premises technology are profound. Broadband makes Fort Wayne more competitive in the global economy. Our local economy is strong, but we must be ready to meet the challenges of the future. Business leaders will want to make investments in Fort Wayne because of our fiber-to-the-premises capability

An example is Raytheon. In August, Raytheon announced it will add more than 60 new jobs to its Fort Wayne facility. One of the main reasons is fiber. "We're updating our bandwidth to match the capability that was done with Verizon. That bandwidth infrastructure was an enabling element to us to put this investment here," Wayne Iurillo, Raytheon site manager, said in the August 25, 2005, edition of The News-Sentinel.

A September 2005 study by the MIT Communications Futures Program finds communities where mass-market broadband was available experiencing rapid growth in jobs, number of businesses as well as businesses in IT-intensive sectors. The study shows property values are higher in areas with broadband availability National data supports the conclusion that broadband positively affects economic activity.

We are experiencing economic growth in Fort Wayne. More than $450 million has been invested in the urban core this year. The Fort Wayne-Allen County Economic Development Alliance has assisted us in retaining 16,000 jobs and gaining 4,000 jobs in the last four years.

Fort Wayne is using an "Innovation Initiative" to support new business development and job creation. The initiative...