• Telework Can Lower Stress On Weak Infrastructure

Another disturbing trend we alluded to on earlier posts in our economy series has raised its ugly head. Four big-city mayors told Congress yesterday that they’re overwhelmed by infrastructure needs and can’t maintain their water systems, roads and rail networks without more federal help. Nevermind install an information utility alongside water and electric public services.

CNN quotes the Kansas City, Missouri Mayor: “We’re having a quiet collapse of prosperity.” They all agreed the state of the nation’s infrastructure is poor and getting worse, and blamed much of the decay on shortsighted thinking by local, state and federal officials.

The American Society of Civil Engineers back that up with estimates that to bringing the nation’s transportation and resources networks up to a properly functional level would require $1.6 trillion and five years of work. And that’s just to fix what needs fixin’, never mind meet future needs.

Consider this: according to the Texas Transportation Institute the average U.S. traveler is delayed 51.5 hours annually due to traffic and infrastructure-related congestion in the nation’s 20 largest metropolitan areas. The delays range from 93 hours in Los Angeles to 14 hours in Pittsburgh. Combined, these delays waste 1.78 billion gallons of fuel each year and waste almost $50.3 billion in congestion costs. Furthermore, the average delay in these metropolitan areas has increased by almost 35.3 hours since 1982.

So when you pour gas in a funnel, what do you do when the funnel starts to overflow? Duh, reduce the flow. And that’s exactly what telecommuting can do for highways.

But does The Dodd-Hagel National Infrastructure Bank Act, a bipartisan measure that addresses the critical needs of our nation’s major infrastructure systems, even mention telecommunications or telecommuting? NooOOOooo. Have we become so self-centered as a nation that we aren’t willing to take a creative look at what needs to be done, and make the investment necessary, to ensure our grandkids have a tolerable future?

In fact, there’s no creative thinking required to realizing that an ubiquitous information utility—broadband and wifi everywhere—would energize our economy the same way that rural electrification did in the mid-1930s.

There are lots of reasons why the backbone of our nation is crumbling, as is the case with any problem, but as a country we need a major dose of reality. Blame it on TV, blame on religion, blame it on Dr. Spock or on crumbling school systems, but wishful thinking and ignorance seem to be acceptable norms anymore. We need to honestly look at where we really are and where we’re going, and set some clear goals for where we want to be. The fact that the rate of change is accelerating is no excuse, to the contrary that’s what makes such an effort an imperative.

I’m by nature an optimist, but combined with all the other economic issues I’ve written about lately, things are looking pretty grim for my grandchildren.