Editor’s note: The recently launched North Carolina Next Generation Network project – a collaboration between four of the state’s leading universities and several municipalities – has the potential to bring ultra-fast Internet and related services to the Triangle as well as Winston-Salem. WRAL Tech Wire asked Harvey Schmitt, president and CEO of the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce, for his thoughts about what the project could mean to the region.
RALEIGH, N.C. - Our region has a history of being a pioneer in collaboration between education, government and business to advance economic development. The Research Triangle Park is the most noticeable expression of this kind of partnership, but our region is also home to smaller yet equally impactful public-private collaboratives that create jobs, prosperity and opportunity.
As a community builder and economic developer I am excited about a new collaboration North Carolina Next Generation Network (NCNGN) that will advance important infrastructure for our future competitiveness.
Four of our state’s premier universities (NC State, Duke, UNC and Wake Forest) and the local municipalities where they reside have partnered to build ultra high-speed internet fiber.
To quote their website “NCNGN (Pronounced “NC Engine”) is seeking to be one of the first areas in the country to have reliable third party service providers delivering ultra-fast bandwidth at highly affordable prices.”
Much like Kansas City, which has commitments for 1 gigabit of speed at $70/month and 100 megabits of speed at $30/month to residential end users, NCNGN seeks to bring similar benefits to the citizens, workers, and businesses of Cary, Carrboro, Chapel Hill, Durham, Raleigh, and Winston-Salem.”
Job creation takes place where there is an intersection of innovation, exploration and infrastructure to support commerce, be it water ways, highways, airports, electric utilities, water, sewer or in this case internet fiber. Those communities with the best and the most accessible are those that gain a first mover economic advantage.
In a recent meeting a group of CEO’s from major businesses in health delivery and service, discussed how expanded bandwidth could make us a world leader in mobile and telemedicine. It did not take long for them to imagine how far our capabilities (given our medical and university assets) will evolve. They believe our region can set the pace for creating and implementing innovations that will be copied around the world.
About two years ago every major city in America was trying to attract Google to its community to set up an ultra high-speed internet for just that reason. Kansas City won that competition but our region with its unique cooperation among universities government and business did not give up on the dream and NCNGN is an example of ingenuity and perseverance.
Congratulations to all involved.
