to the long-term prosperity of hitherto underserved communities. These secondary returns mean that broadband investments probably deserve more attention than they have received to date in terms of stimulus plans - of the US$ 787 billion that makes up the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act 2009, some US$ 7.2 billion or less than 1% has been allocated for funding a variety of broadband initia-tives The Internet is also a sizeable sector in its own right. A recent Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) report estimated that, in the United States, the birthplace of the Internet, the Internet sector accounts for some US$ 300 billion in economic activity or 2.1% of total US GDP and 3.1 million jobs, in over 20,000 Internet-related fi rms providing a range of services such as web design, publishing and software consult-ing throughout the US. Canada’s stimulus package devotes a similar proportion of its total funding to broadband projects. Yet the signifi cant externalities and secondary returns to investments in broadband suggest that broadband deployments could justify even greater investments. throughout the US.33 The IAB concludes that the Internet is “not only vital infrastructure, it is a spur to entrepreneurship and social change - it has changed the way fi rms fi nd customers, customers fi nd information and people manage social relation-ships”. Broadband e-business applications can help fi rms to expand their market reach, explore new revenue opportunities and build local linkages. Businesses can also become more effi cient and cost-effective (e.g., using triple-play broadband to cut calling costs or teleconferencing to cut travel budgets). Addressing local broadband infrastructure gaps and accelerating adoption of e-business solutions are fundamental to promoting regional economic development that is built on competitive businesses and skilled human resources. Addressing broadband gaps in coverage, capacity and quality of service could prove critical In reality, we are probably only at the start of what broadband can achieve – broadband has generated an explosion of information growing at an expo-nential rate. The information-sharing capabilities of broadband will fundamentally transform how fi rms learn and interact, while creating new opportunities for adding value in innovative new business models, original services and fresh approaches. Broadband 35