"As we rely increasingly on computers in manufacturing,
design, financial services, retail, and technology, the ability
to send enormous volumes of information is a requirement, not just
a nice-to-have," says MPC Board member Craig Watson, CEO of Payment Engineering
and co-chair of MPC's Technology Working Group, in "From Broad Shoulders to
Broadband." The new multi-media presentation documents the small- and mid-size business
need for broadband and was released by MPC on March 15, 2004.
From Broad Shoulders to Broadband features Craig Watson, CEO of Payment
Engineering and co-chair of MPC's Technology Working Group. Image courtesy of
Video One.
The presentation highlights companies — from Ford Motor Company in the Calumet
area to Digital Kitchen, a high-end production and design firm in River North
— that need broadband to expand their businesses.
While Ford is building a state-of-the-art supplier park, connected by Ford's
private infrastructure, Digital Kitchen cannot obtain fiber at an affordable
price and resorts to shippiing its digital tapes via overnight mail.
Click here to launch "From Broad Shoulders to Broadband."
The multi-media presentation is based on a detailed
report, Access to Redevelopment,
released simultaneously. The research finds that:
- Businesses throughout the city and in diverse
neighborhoods are adopting new technologies and applications that demand
high-speed connectivity.
- The current supply of broadband services is unevenly
distributed throughout the city, resulting in significant areas of unmet
demand.
- There are two levels of unmet demand: "unserved" communities,
without access to affordable low bandwidth solutions such as digital
subscriber lines (DSL); and "underserved" communities, with insufficient
access to fiber-level services.
The report maps businesses in unserved and underserved areas that lack
sufficient broadband. These areas include the North Park and the Belmont
and Central Avenue neighborhoods on the North Side; West Town, Logan Square, and
Little Village on the West Side; and Bronzeville, South Shore, Beverly, and
Pullman on the South Side.
Click here for parts 1, 2, and 3 of the research report Access to
Redevelopment .