Information superhighways and the like

Rep. Bob Smith penned an editorial for Insider Advantage that has various interesting and valid points in it, though it does get bogged down in his general ideological aversion to public funding for, well, anything and his opposition to cap-and-trade legislation (which was kinda oddly placed I thought).

Still, the general thesis is remarkably sound - that an emphasis on expanding our digital media networks and increasing telecommuting opportunities are smart investments for our state's infrastructure ...

Too often we hear complaints that our state is not unified: There are “two Georgias” with metro Atlanta and rural Georgia having absolute separate economies. What better way to interconnect this state than to make public/private investments in digital media and new media than promote entrepreneurs who can also conduct business globally without much traveling. It certainly would be cheaper than investing billions in transportation projects.

An information superhighway could mean more telecommuting for everyday workers, a new way of “interfacing with the office” and moving products and data from point A to point B. Instead of actually being present at a meeting, real time video conferencing, for example, could be available in communities throughout the state – perhaps even in public libraries – making such meetings more accessible to workers of all income levels. This concept isn’t just about traffic it’s about growing the economy.

Telecommuting, for example, has taken on a new following throughout the country. More residents of metro Atlanta now work from home than take mass transit, according to a 2006 survey by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Increasing the amount of telecommuting, digital media and new technologies via entrepreneurs have the potential to eliminate at least 136 billion miles of vehicle travel and significantly reduce greenhouse gases by 2020, according to The Information Technology & Innovation Foundation. That’s certainly a cheaper way to clean up the environment than any cap and trade effort now before Congress. It’s also more palatable than raising taxes to build an endless supply of roads, sidewalks, bridges, buses, train and interstates. One recent study put our state’s transportation needs at $160 billion.

For more than a decade the General Assembly has debated whether to increase the gasoline tax, a statewide or regional sales tax or other schemes to finance transportation. In this economy, no voter would ever consider approving a tax increase for transportation. Georgia politicians would likely push back on the idea as well.

Even if we had a sudden, new revenue stream, why should we continue to finance sidewalks, bike paths, bus rapid transit, rail projects, highways and other ideas when they harken to a bygone era? None looks to the future and how we could be conducting business in three or four decades. Think IPods versus vinyl records.

The final point is mistaken for a variety of reasons, namely that Smith apparently envisions a world in which no one ever leaves their house (as well as his rationale for expanding and enhancing infrastructure hinges solely on the almighty dollar), so I think it should be largely ignored for obvious reasons.

But, again, chalk this up as another idea from Smith that has flaws in its logic, but is ultimately a sound one worth pursuing.