Report: next-generation broadband networks would create 200,000 jobs in three years

Tax incentives for fiber-to-the-premises build-out would create over 200,000 new jobs between 2009 and 2011, according to a new report by the Fiber to the Home (FTTH) Council.

In addition to the direct job creation, the report predicts that economic output would increase by more than $100 billion. The job creation would be largely as a result of labor, which accounts form almost 50 percent of the money spent to deploy networks with direct fiber connections.

The FTTH Council report also predicts that 360,000 new jobs would be created indirectly through the deployment of next-generation broadband networks.

Jeffery A. Eisenach, Chairman and Managing Partner at Empiris - the economic consulting firm who prepared the report - said:

"Not only would these proposals create jobs and help boost economic recovery right away, but they will also accelerate expansion of the basic high-tech infrastructure that will drive the U.S. economy throughout the 21st century."

President-Elect Obama announced that job creation and economic stimulus would be the top priority of his new administration in a speech on January 8:

"The true test of the policies we'll pursue won't be whether they're Democratic or Republican ideas, but whether they create jobs, grow our economy, and put the American Dream within reach of the American people."

560,000 jobs in three years would be a significant step in putting the American economy back on the right track.

Stimulating the Growth of Fiber Networks Will Immediately Create Maximum Broadband Jobs, Fastest Connections for the Future (FTTH Council - Press Release)

Economic Effects of Tax Incentives for Broadband Infrastructure Deployment (FTTH Council - Full Report)

President-elect speaks on the need for urgent action on an American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan (Change.gov)