Joel Hartman, vice provost for Information Technologies and Resources at ÐÔÊӽ紫ý, answered that question and others during a recent lunch presentation for the Oviedo-Winter Springs Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Hartman’s presentation, “Broadband and the Innovation Economy,” began with a pragmatic definition of broadband and an explanation of why ultra high-speed broadband is important for businesses and individuals as they move into an economic environment that depends on the exchange of ideas and information to grow. When the Internet giant Google proposed to work with a community to provide industrial-size connectivity, cities across the country threw themselves into the competition, and one even changed its name.

In ÐÔÊӽ紫ý, an ultra-high-speed research and education computer network called ÐÔÊӽ紫ý LambdaRail connects ÐÔÊӽ紫ý and other ÐÔÊӽ紫ý universities, allowing researchers to send information at 10 gigabits per second — 10,000 times faster than the typical home cable modem.

ÐÔÊӽ紫ý Community Relations works with chambers of commerce throughout the region to support relationships with the business community.