Blog | News & Information on Wireless Services & Telecommunications

Rural America’s Entrepreneurs

Posted: 04/18/11

Mobile Future Advisory Board Member Diane Smith discussed how technology advancements have allowed entrepreneurs to live and work in rural America in The Flathead Beacon, “Entrepreneurship in the New Rural America.”

As Smith stated:

“So long as a rural area has the proper wired and wireless technology infrastructure, entrepreneurs can set up shop with no large cities nearby, enabling them to enjoy the quality of life that places like Montana offer.”

To read the article, click here.

Net Neutrality to Negatively Impact Job Creation

Posted: 05/10/10 by Mobile Future Team

The Charleston Gazette in West Virginia recently published an op-ed piece by Mobile Future Advisory Board Member Diane Smith. The piece centers on the negative impact net neutrality regulations would have on job creation and emerging opportunities across the wireless industry.

While there is great promise ahead in communications, there may also be a looming threat to future entrepreneurship and new employment opportunities. A recent study by The Brattle Group examining the employment and economic impacts of network neutrality regulation found extensive controls would restrict technology advances, innovation and job growth. And a recent ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit rejecting the Commission's claim of authority to enforce existing Internet freedom principles adds even more uncertainty to the broadband ecosystem.

You can read the rest of Diane's op-ed here.

Technology creates economic opportunities

Posted: 01/04/10 by Mobile Future Team

The Duluth News Tribune in Minnesota recently published an op-ed piece by Mobile Future Advisor Diane Smith. The piece details Diane’s success as an entrepreneur in rural America, and the many ways that technology helps small business and promotes economic opportunity.

The wireless sector employs nearly 2.7 million Americans - from applications developers to retail store workers to network engineers - and contributes $100 billion annually to our nation's economy. In the last year alone, wireless companies have invested more than $20 billion in networks that are expanding opportunities for the next generation of connected businesses.

You can read the rest of Diane’s op-ed here.

Modern technology keeps families connected

Posted: 10/23/08 by Diane Smith

Whether it's a back-to-school shopping trip or just an afternoon ski run, as I've mentioned in previous blog posts, even when we're apart, cell phones have enabled my family to stay close and connected with each other.  And it appears that our family is not alone.

On Sunday, the Pew Internet and American Life Project released poll results that found that 25 percent of respondents said cell phones and online communications made their families closer, 60 percent of adults said the new technologies did not affect the closeness of their families and only 11 percent said the technology had a negative effect

The year 2000 marked the first decade in which a majority of Americans used Internet and cell phone technology.  The advances in these technologies have certainly corresponded to increases in multi-tasking and general activity, but it has also allowed me the freedom to live my life as I choose.  Whether that means texting my daughter to see what she's up to without being too much of a "helicopter mom," or starting a business in the mountains of Montana - technology and cell phones have kept me close to my loved ones.

For more interesting data from the poll, check out the Washington Post Story, "Internet, Cell phones May Strengthen Family Unit, Study Finds."