Stimulate This

TechAmerica, the technology industry association formed by the merger of the Information Technology Association of America and AeA, sponsored a luncheon today where they offered the industry's take on the estimated $100 billion set aside for IT in the recently passed economic stimulus bill.

With much of the money being funneled through state and local governments, TechAmerica's Roxanne Gould, head of state government affairs for the association, said many states have reached out for guidance on how to spend the funds.

There are a lot of ideas: Among the more interesting ones is Massachusetts' plan to install solar panels on all public buildings in the Cape Cod area to lower with the state's energy costs. Austin, Texas, is teaming up with the University of Texas to ask for money to convert some of the city's shuttered semiconductor labs into solar panel factories. UT also wants to secure some of the $2 billion set aside for research into advanced battery technology, which TechAmerica's Jeff Clark, regional director for Texas, said would "revolutionize the way we power our vehicles and homes."

In Florida, state officials are hoping to use some of the funds set aside for rural broadband to expand the state's fiber-optic network. Gould said many rural schools are currently using dial-up Internet access, resulting in huge phone bills and extremely slow connection speeds.

Head of TechAmerica's government affairs, Josh Lamel, said localities are looking beyond just fiber at new ways of deploying high-speed Internet. Lamel suggested that many states might want to follow Florida's lead by wiring schools and libraries with superfast fiber connections, which they would use to power wireless networks with up to 10 miles of range.

"States are defining infrastructure as more than just roads," said Gould. "That now includes technology."