Florida’s Competitiveness in the New Economy
One of the most interesting national news stories over the past year has been Amazon’s quest to identify a location for its second corporate headquarters. Dozens of American cities and regions, as well parts of Canada, entered the sweepstakes to land the big prize. Recently, Amazon pared the list down to 20 “finalists.”
As one might expect, the list of finalists is quite diverse. All parts of the country are represented, as well as all types of climates – not just Mother Nature, but political, tax, and regulatory climates. However, there is one thought-provoking factor that all finalist cities have in common, which is a clear commitment to infrastructure development. More than tax levels and regulatory environments, it appears that a community’s investment in infrastructure is what truly coalesces the 20 finalists.
Many of the finalist cities have, for generations, made wholesale infrastructure investments in the foundational building blocks of the old economy. As a result, most have world-class highway systems, expansive commuter and commercial rail networks, and airports and seaports that support the movement of goods and services throughout their regions and underpin their local economies. But, it’s their investment in the modern economy (whether it’s the workforce of the future or the commercial highways of the future) that sets them apart. They are investing in the communications infrastructure that powers the digital economy, which is paramount for 21st century companies like Amazon who demand access to the best available services.
It is undeniable that the marketplace of the future lives online and will be driven by wireless connectivity. We are entering a world where almost everything imaginable, from retail to investing to healthcare delivery, will be dependent on the internet. In the past, consumers and commerce were connected by arteries of steel and concrete; now we are connected digitally through communications infrastructure systems consisting of fiber optic cables, towers, DAS networks, and small cell nodes which power our devices. Crown Castle is at the forefront of leading that change.
Our communications infrastructure will be critical to Florida’s efforts to lead in the new economy. We are working with state and local leaders and encouraging them to work together in concert with the builders of wireless networks like ours to streamline and expedite the deployment of next generation infrastructure that will serve to as the backbone for what’s known as the 5G network. We know that forward thinking in our approach to connectivity protects our future economic competitiveness.
The conversation at the local, state, and national level about communications infrastructure demonstrates how important it is to our economy, and even our national security. Crown Castle is partnering with communities across the state to build the 5G infrastructure that will help us compete in the economy of today and tomorrow.
Written by Crown Castle