Do you want to see how broadband and economic development work together? We hosted Mr. Mike Phalin, of Clearwave Communications, as our guest speaker for our Jefferson County Development Corporation Partner Luncheon on March 13. Mike shared insights on the growth of their company and the effect that Broadband has on rural communities. Mr. Phalin is Clear Wave’s Chief Operating Officer and VP of Sales & Marketing. In addition to the presentation, Clearwave sponsored our March luncheon!

Clearwave’s Growth

In 2010, Clearwave had no fiber infrastructure. But today, they oversee about 750 miles throughout Southern Illinois and have 86 employees. Where broadband is lacking, so too is the economy. Through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, the Federal Government created the opportunity for Clearwave and other companies to install fiber for essential community anchor institutions like schools, libraries, hospitals and public safety facilities. This infrastructure laid the foundation for things we take for granted today, like access to cloud services and fast transmission of large data. If you are a business looking to locate here, you should know that almost all of Jefferson County has access to fiber optic networks.

The Future of Broadband

Where is broadband going? Phalin shared that a 10-megabit pipeline used to be large. Today, Clearwave is providing 10-gigabit, not megabit, services to companies and schools. Now, let’s have a look at Mike’s presentation to learn where business is driving the industry and why!