Testing the Benefits of High-Speed Internet Access

Your home broadband connection can let your spouse work online while you catch up on Lost. But for residents of low-income neighborhoods, high-speed Internet access means more than convenience: It could be a path to better health, safer streets and economic opportunity.

To prove this, Case Western Reserve University has launched the University Circle Innovation Zone, a project that's deploying gigabit fiber-optic connections to residents of Cleveland's poorest neighborhoods. Beginning May 22 with 104 homes, local institutions-including hospitals, schools, electric utilities and public safety agencies-will use the network to deliver cutting-edge services to residents. Over the next 18 months, Case Western researchers will study changes in residents' health and other indicators of their standard of living.

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