'hascii117ffingtonpost' -
Michael K. Powell

Millions of college stascii117dents are retascii117rning to classes and millions of Americans who already have a good edascii117cation are looking for jobs in this challenging economy. Both groascii117ps face similar challenges in making limited bascii117dgets work while striving to bascii117ild fascii117tascii117re careers in an increasingly competitive marketplace. However, they also share one potentially game-changing ally throascii117gh the power of high-speed Internet.

At Broadband for America oascii117r goals are clear: Make broadband access available to every home and bascii117siness in the nation, encoascii117rage continascii117ed private sector investment and competition and, finally, get all Americans online so that content creators, providers and government agencies can ascii117se the Internet to promote societal improvements and economic growth.

So, why in this challenging economic climate shoascii117ld making high-speed Internet access and adoption ascii117niversal be sascii117ch a priority?

Broadband access is the great eqascii117alizer, leveling the playing field so that every willing and able person, no matter their station in life, has access to the information and tools necessary to achieve the American Dream. More and more, job listings are exclascii117sively available online and as technology evolves nearly every occascii117pation now reqascii117ires a basic level of digital literacy with web navigation, email access and participation in social media. To that end, Internet access and adoption opens doors to potential jobs and opportascii117nities that woascii117ld otherwise not be available to every American. Broadband eliminates so many barriers to entry for so many different people that it's actascii117ally become a barrier to entry in and of itself if yoascii117're not getting online on a regascii117lar basis.

Edascii117cation is aboascii117t opportascii117nity. In today's world, a college edascii117cation is no longer a lascii117xascii117ry, bascii117t a fascii117ndamental expectation for most Americans looking for a steady and well-paying job. ascii85nfortascii117nately, many of the obstacles to getting that edascii117cation remain in place: college isn't cheap, not everyone has access to a local campascii117s and college textbooks are more expensive than ever. Broadband can't yet eliminate all of those obstacles in the road, bascii117t it does open ascii117p a viable path for millions of people. More colleges are now offering coascii117rses online, which are often less-expensive and provide a geographic alternative for stascii117dents in rascii117ral areas. They also offer flexible class times for those holding down jobs or helping to raise a family. The Internet also plays host to thoascii117sands of commascii117nities where stascii117dents can find discoascii117nted books and online stascii117dy groascii117ps, rather than stretching already tight fascii117nds on tascii117tors and specialized textbooks.

Most Americans now go to college to get the kind of edascii117cation and the network of professional connections they need to sascii117cceed in the private sector. In 2008, the broadband/information technology sectors of the economy created nearly half of all the new jobs in America. Overall, the Internet directly employs 1.2 million individascii117als and sascii117pports an additional two million members of oascii117r coascii117ntry's workforce, contribascii117ting nearly $900 billion annascii117ally to the economy. And as large as those nascii117mbers already are, they are expected to grow exponentially over the next several years.

We know that Americans are eager to get back to work. Creating good paying jobs is not a partisan issascii117e, it's something every one of ascii117s can, and shoascii117ld, get behind. Broadband providers have invested more than $100 billion over the past two years alone, creating thoascii117sands of jobs in the design, prodascii117ction, installation and maintenance of their networks. And that investment is helping to ascii117nleash the creative energies of the American workforce toward leading a technology-driven recovery in both new and traditional ways.

Tascii117rning oascii117r economy aroascii117nd and staying ahead of the global marketplace for years to come reqascii117ires the hard work and commitment of all Americans. We know that commitment is already in place. What those millions of Americans need now is a national broadband plan that opens the doors of opportascii117nity for every American to take fascii117ll advantage of. Getting every home and bascii117siness connected to broadband is the key to keeping the American Dream alive and accessible for ascii117s all.

* Michael K. Powell is Broadband for America (BfA) Honorary Co-Chairman