John Jung
V.P. International Marketing at the Greater Toronto Marketing Alliance

Chair of the Intelligent Community Forum in NYC

Winner of the ICF 1999 Intelligent City Visionary of the Year Award

Why is Broadband important?

Simply put broadband is an opportunity to change everything!

I have been an active member of the International Smart Community movement since 1985 and have seen first hand the process that is required to convert normal communities into a Smart Communities.

It is a common misconception that once the pipes are in the ground, and the fibre is lit, the job is done. In truth this is only the beginning.

The Intelligent Community Forum has identified 10 separate infrastructure layers required in order for a Smart Community to take full advantage of its high-speed connectivity. Next to the physical connectivity layer, the most important of these layers may be the Leadership Layer.

In Canada the greatest risk we face is that of complacency. We are world leaders in broadband deployment, Toronto being one of the most connected cities in the world. However we must now continue our efforts to provide all of our businesses and communities with the best connectivity possible. As well we need to turn our energies to finding ways of using this infrastructure to transform our institutions, our businesses and our governments, so that Canada remains both prosperous and influential on the world stage.

By taking action now, we will ensure that today's opportunity to lead does not become tomorrow's struggle to keep up.