News for and about the Internet2 community

[Elizabeth Boten <>]

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Liz Boten,

 

Internet2 Expresses Support for State Department’s Global Connect Initiative

Efforts focus on connecting 1.5 billion people in developing countries

 

WASHINGTON, DC, April 13, 2016--Last year, the United States Department of State announced the Global Connect Initiative, which proposes to connect 1.5 billion people in developing countries to the Internet by the year 2020. Internet2, the premier Research and Education (R&E) Network in the United States, and active participant in the Global Research and Education Network (REN) CEO Forum, will help to convene other R&E leaders across the globe. Through these activities, Internet2 hopes to spark a discussion about how the broader R&E community can further this initiative and continue its tradition of paving the way in technology and innovative breakthroughs.

 

"The state department has committed the United States to a global leadership position in expanding broadband access in developing countries," said Dave Lambert, Internet2 President and CEO. "We believe our global ecosystem of teaching and learning will be enriched when even more people can broadly access information, so we are very pleased to play a role in this important initiative."

 

The Global Connect Initiative will be guided by principles that also have been at the core of the R&E community’s mission and purpose. These core principles include recognizing that Internet activity should be an integral part of all national development strategies; that public access at places like libraries and community centers should be encouraged; and that policies and strategies that spur connectivity, entrepreneurship, and cross-border information flow should be adopted.

 

The State Department will host a meeting about the initiative in Washington, DC, on April 14, which will include keynote addresses from Secretary of State John Kerry, U.S. Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew, and World Bank President Jim Young Kim. There also will be moderated/open discussions with several Finance Ministers from around the world. The event will focus on why this initiative matters, what stakeholders are doing today, and what should be done in the future. The State Department invited almost 70 representatives of foreign governments, international organizations, and industry to the event.

 

 

About Internet2

 

Internet2 is a member-owned advanced technology community founded by the nation’s leading higher education institutions in 1996. Internet2 provides a collaborative environment for U.S. research and education organizations to solve common technology challenges, and to develop innovative solutions in support of their educational, research and community service missions.
 
Internet2 also operates the nation’s largest and fastest, coast-to-coast research and education network, with Internet2 Network Operations Center powered by Indiana University. Internet2 serves more than 90,000 community anchor institutions, 305 U.S. universities, 70 government agencies, 42 regional and state education networks, 84 leading corporations working with our community and more than 65 national research and education networking partners representing more than 100 countries.

 

Internet2 offices are located in Ann Arbor, MI; Denver, CO; Emeryville, CA; Washington, DC; and West Hartford, CT. For more information, visit www.internet2.edu or follow @Internet2 on Twitter.