These concepts were part of my white paper entitled, “Intelligent Infrastructure: Insuring Security for Regional Sustainability” presented at a 2009 Department of Homeland Security’s Workshop on Aging Infrastructure at Columbia University in New York.

They have become important to discuss again in light of the pending stimulus package for infrastructure.

As I have said in a recent article:

“Antiquated processes, network infrastructure and information systems create just as many liabilities as old and rusting bridges and crumbling roads with deep potholes.  The money (several billion dollars) reserved for broadband initiatives is the equivalent of earmarking some change for lunch money as compared to other traditional areas of funding (infrastructure).

We need to get executives and politicians adopting a panoramic view instead of a narrow view of infrastructure.  They need to fund critical civil and private development projects with the remainder of funds left within the stimulus package.”

If there is a “new” infrastructure package in the works, it should be aimed at building up regional infrastructure that can provide a residual payback to the American economy, not just a temporary “jobs creation” endeavor.

LEARN FROM PAST POLICY MISTAKES

The last big infrastructure issue facing the cities of Chicago and St. Louis back in the late 1800s after the Civil War was the approval of the railroads, a new layer of infrastructure at the time.  St. Louis political leaders failed to understand the importance of adding the next layer of infrastructure into their region for economic growth and regional sustainability.  We can learn from this bad decision and lack of understanding the importance of infrastructure.

St. Louis, on the influence of the riverboat industry which controlled transportation of goods, restricted the railroads from St. Louis and crossing the Mississippi River.  On the other hand, Chicago let the railroads have access to terminating into Chicago as a regional hub.

Chicago grew faster in the next 25 years because they had an additional layer of infrastructure which catapulted their regional economic development as well as their population.

The chart below shows the unmistakable impact that restricting infrastructure development has on the regional economy.  St. Louis never recovered from that short-sighted decision.

This parallels what is happening today.  If adding new infrastructure is restricted or slowed down, regional economic development will be effected and in the long-term, regional sustainability will be damaged.

When it comes to broadband connectivity, any major area of commerce needs to have the latest bandwidth capabilities in order to provide the fastest connectivity for video-based applications and other new applications that require more bandwidth.

Network carriers need to provide ample service at reasonable prices.

I have also discussed some of these concepts and the observation that "Economic development equals broadband connectivity and broadband connectivity equals jobs" in video interviews on Etopia News Now (  http://www.blip.tv/file/2642078 )

Corporate site selection committees, when looking for new corporate facilities, are looking for areas that have good broadband connectivity to the area as well as the specific location they are evaluating.  If your community does not have high-speed access to national carriers, it will be passed over as far as a location for a new corporate facility.

High-speed today is counted in gigabits, not megabits of speed.  Fiber optics have become key in the distribution framework for delivering broadband capabilities.  Next-generation business parks have 40Gbps access and are moving to 100Gbps.  Those who think having T1 access is sufficient are kidding themselves.  Corporate site selection would pass right over a site if all it had was T1 (1.544Mbps) speed.

Any infrastructure project on improving roadways should also add the additional step of installing underground conduits for fiber optics and broadband connectivity to the project. This is an incremental cost that has a great payback and adds more residual value to the government investment.

CARLINI-ISM :  Network infrastructure needs to be included when talking about  critical infrastructure that supports regional economic development.

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I will be speaking at the upcoming Roads & Bridges LIVE Conference in Las Vegas on November 9th and 10th at the RIO All Suites Hotel & Casino.  For more information and reservations go to http://www.roadsbridgeslive.com/attendees/