For immediate release

The promise of ‘Gigabit or Bust’ technology
for under-served Latino communities

SAN ANTONIO, Texas -- Providing technologically under-served Latino communities in California and other states with next-generation broadband access can grow high-paying jobs and new wealth, according to a new report on how to promote One Gigabit or Bust™ technology to close today’s digital divide.

The comprehensive white paper, Fostering a Collaborative Vision of a One Gigabit Ubiquitous Network for California’s Latino Community, from the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) and the Corporation for Education Network Initiatives in California (CENIC), is now available at the CENIC web site at www.cenic.org/GB/pubs/latinowp.pdf.

“While this report concentrates on introducing promising next-generation technologies to California’s Latino communities, the potential to eventually benefit Hispanic communities and the colleges that serve them throughout the United States is tremendous,” said HACU President and CEO Antonio R. Flores. “California’s Latino communities can prove the model by embracing this initiative and the important work of CENIC to dramatically enhance education and workforce opportunities for our youngest and largest ethnic population.”

The report is the result of the findings of a workshop hosted by CENIC’s One Gigabit or Bust™ Roundtable Latino Education Issues Task Force and HACU’s Office of Information Technology Initiatives. Accelerating next-generation broadband deployment in California has the potential to grow the state’s economy by 2 million new jobs and a $376 billion increase in the gross state product by 2010. Actively engaging California’s Latino communities to reap these benefits was the focus of the workshop for the state’s Latino education, trade and technology leaders that took place as part of HACU’s 17^th Annual Conference in Anaheim, California, in October.

Their report describes the means to leapfrog over the current digital divide between minority and non-minority access to basic information technology by providing minority communities access to the near-instantaneous flow of information possible through gigabit broadband communications technologies.

One gigabit-per-second technology, for example, represents more than a thousand-fold increase in the speed of relaying information over today’s commercial DSL and cable broadband networks. The report discusses practical measures for overcoming challenges to bringing these new technologies to under-served communities, and outlines proposed next steps for achieving one-gigabit networks in California’s Latino communities by 2010.

Their proposals for introducing a ubiquitous broadband network into under-served Latino communities include leveraging existing research and expertise, engaging community leaders to promote the benefits of one-gigabit networks, and creating community hubs where residents can learn about and use this technology.

CENIC is a not-for-profit corporation serving the California Institute of Technology, California State University, Stanford University, University of California, University of Southern California, California Community Colleges and the statewide K–12 school system. In 2003, CENIC created the trademarked One Gigabit or Bust™ Roundtable with the goal of identifying the opportunities and obstacles to achieving ubiquitous one-gigabit access throughout California by 2010.

HACU is a national, nonprofit organization that represents 359 member higher education institutions in 26 states and Puerto Rico – including 85 member institutions in California -- that collectively serve more than two-thirds of all Hispanic higher education students. HACU’s Office of Information Technology Initiatives works with Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) and public and private sector partners to build the information technology capacity of HSIs to bridge the digital divide in Hispanic communities across the country.