I have been thinking lately about why parts of Wisconsin still don’t have high-speed, high-quality Internet access. When it comes right down to it, regions remain underserved because as a state and a nation we have tried to apply out-dated business and service models to an industry that is now critical for the vitality of our state and region.

We want to treat high-speed Internet access with the same approaches we used for the telephone and cable television industry.  In those industries, the network infrastructure and the service are coupled in a way that allows businesses selling a specific service to dominate service areas regardless of the quality of services or the menu of services they offer. Telecommunications and cable TV vendors only build infrastructure in places that are profitable for them.

Traditionally we have classified these services by the devices or the media delivery technology used. We would buy “telephone service” or have “cable television” installed. Now voice, video, music, television shows, movies, and text are all just data that can run over a network.

It is time to decouple the network from the services. Consumers and businesses should be able to buy the device that best meets their needs on the service that they view as the highest quality for their needs.

Our state and national broadband policies and funding strategies should support ever-increasing bandwidth to all parts of our state. Vendors should not own the network and the state should not support any network policies that give any vendors an advantage over their competitors. The vendors should focus on delivering services over a network that is open to all those who wish to compete to deliver services.

Encouraging innovation by establishing a level playing field would enhance education, stimulate research, and accelerate business vitality throughout Wisconsin.  The broadband stimulus program is an opportunity for Wisconsin. I hope we have the wisdom to make decisions that position us to better compete in the region and the world.

Summer 2009 marked the transition to the third of four phases in the IT strategic planning process. Ten work teams, led by faculty and staff across campus, convened from June through August to identify what it would take to bring roughly 50 strategic initiatives to fruition. The activities are divided into 5 categories:

Teaching and Learning

Research Service

Outreach and Public Service

Campus Services

Information Technology Infrastructure

A few of the activities or projects that are gaining momentum include:

Teaching and Learning: Teams are looking at new approaches for using technologies in the classroom or for collaboration and learning outside the classroom. Better support for faculty and instructors, classroom design and support for mobile devices were also high on the list.

Research Services: Teams are investigating how we better prepare graduate students to support research and how faculty and staff members can use new collaboration tools as they apply for grants and conduct their research activities.

Outreach and Public Service: Teams collaborated with faculty, staff, students, alumni and partners to identify approaches and technologies that could be applied to better support the Wisconsin Idea and the Wisconsin Experience. Learning opportunities at UW-Madison traverse the globe and technology is integral to our myriad delivery strategies.

Campus Services: Activities are underway to roll out new digital imaging services to streamline admissions and registration, save paper and other natural resources, and better serve students. We are also poised to implement improved email services, expanded wireless capabilities and better access to technology and support across campus.

Information Technology Infrastructure: Infrastructure is usually invisible to our faculty, staff and students, but upgrades to our network, data centers, collaborative learning spaces, computer labs and help desk ensure that UW-Madison can deliver some of the finest technology-based services in the country.

Regardless of how many of these new IT service initiatives we can implement in the coming year, the process of IT strategic planning will continue.

For more information about the IT strategic plan, see www.cio.wisc.edu/plan

Yesterday at the quarterly Information Technology Policy Meeting, we spent some time talking about Green IT.  Our discussion group observed that we need to be more intentional as we move forward. An effective “green” IT campaign will require leadership and education.  The leadership must come from the highest levels on campus and the education must be engaging and far-reaching. Our students are ready to be involved and our faculty and staff want to help us get to a better place. Green IT is a priority in the IT Strategic Plan and recognized nationally as a higher ed priority.

At UW-Madison, we are working on digital imaging to reduce paper and ink consumption, we have made great progress in recycling computer equipment, we are adopting virtual server environments at an unprecedented rate, and we are all very conscious of our resource consumption.  This fall, the IT community will initiate a more formal program in conjunction with “We Conserve” and our students to show that Wisconsin can lead the way in Green IT. Look for announcements and ways to participate as the fall semester begins.