In the race for the jobs of tomorrow and the highest possible quality of life, Chattanooga and communities throughout the region are taking the lead, thanks to their commitment to ensuring that businesses and households have high-speed broadband Internet access.

"Broadband technology is the electricity of the 21st century. Without it, it's like reading by candlelight—you'd be left behind," says Nancy Cobb, executive director of the OneGeorgia Authority, which is bringing fast Internet service to underserved rural counties in North Georgia.

Chattanooga Wins the Race

Chattanooga, the largest city in the Southeast Tennessee-North Georgia region, made national headlines by introducing its 1 Gigabit broadband service that is faster than the Internet service available in California's Silicon Valley or anywhere else in the United States. The service, matched only by Hong Kong, is more than 200 times faster than the current average national download speed. It is provided to residents and businesses throughout the city by EPB, the municipal utility delivering power, communications and related services, and the network runs on a smart grid.

"The overriding consideration is that this is a real tool for economic development for our community,"  EPB President and CEO Harold DePriest says of the 100% fiber optics infrastructure. "It is the basis for creating the products and services of the Internet of the future. And it's in Chattanooga today."

Broadband access will vastly improve North Georgia's quality of life, Cobb says. For example, schools can offer classes never before possible, taught by teachers far away. Doctors can consult with specialists in distant cities, while simultaneously reviewing a patient's high-definition MRI scans or X-rays.

"Everything we do today depends on broadband technology," she says.

The Key to Growth

For communities such as Athens, Tenn., broadband means the possibility of attracting new business investment and jobs. The Tennessee Valley Authority designated the Southeast Tennessee city as a prime location for developing the region's growing data center industry. Athens was one of 12 communities in Tennessee, Virginia, Alabama and Mississippi identified in a TVA survey.

Data centers are specifically designed to host telecommunications, computer and data-storage systems for Internet search-engine companies, enterprises that process financial transactions and other high-tech businesses.

"Demand for data centers is growing, as increased use of electronic commerce and information technologies requires more data storage space," says John Bradley, senior vice president for TVA Economic Development. "There are exceptional opportunities for regional growth potential in this industry. These 12 sites in particular have the resources, infrastructure and other qualities needed to support strong data center development."

Windstream, an S&P 500 communications and technology company with operations in 29 states, is partnering with the federal government to extend high-speed broadband Internet connections to about 18,000 homes and 2,000 businesses in the hilly, rural areas of Northwest Georgia.

The company received a $5.1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Windstream will match it with $1.7 million of its own.