Washington State Tops TechNet State Broadband Readiness Study

Index combines economic, adoption and network factors to rank states by broadband prowess

By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 12/5/2012 10:24:59 AM

According to a just-released ranking of the top 50 states with the "ingredients" for promoting and developing broadband, Washington state leads the way with a strong information/communications and apps development economy (Microsoft and Amazon are based there).

Massachusetts is second thanks to Boston's cluster of universities and tech companies, while Delaware ranks third thanks to network quality, where it ranks first among the three key ingredients: adoption, network quality and economic structure.

Rounding out the top 10 list are Maryland, California, New Jersey, Vermont, Virginia, Utah and New York.

Taking up the final three spots in the relevant broadband metrics are Alaska, Hawaii and Arkansas, in that order.

To rank the states, TechNet used broadband adoption information from a National Telecommunications and Information Administration study, network speed data from Akamai and the Fiber to the Home Council (percent passed by fiber optics), and economic data on the percentage of jobs in information and communications technology industries and apps development-related jobs specifically.

TechNet advocates in Washington on behalf of CEO's and senior execs for members including Apple, Cisco, Dell, and Yahoo.