In this episode if The Intelligent Community, ICF Co-Founder Lou Zacharilla interviews Richard Baldridge, Dr. Norman Jacknis and Professor Roberto Gallardo about satellites and how satellite and broadband connectivity provide rural citizens with opportunities to participate in the global economy without leaving the place they call home.

Peter A. Baynes is Executive Director of the New York StateConference of Mayors and Municipal Officials (NYCOM), the membership association representing New York’s city and village governments. NYCOM has been in existence since 1910.

Mr. Baynes has been employed by NYCOM since 1985, having previously served as Legislative Analyst, Director of Intergovernmental Finance, and Deputy Director. He received a B.A.in History from Siena College and has taken Masters-level courses inHistory and Public Policy from the State University of New York at Albany.

The Sunshine Coast is a metropolitan area that spreads across 2,291 square kilometers of Australia’s coastline about 100 kilometers north of Brisbane. A sub-tropical paradise of beautiful beaches and scenic mountains, the Coast has experienced boom times and almost doubled its population since the 1980s from tourism and retirement relocation, which drove the growth of construction and retailing. But the ebbing of the commodities boom that fueled Australia’s economy has revealed the fragility of the local economy. 

To help its population overcome economic challenges, the Sunshine Coast government introduced the “Speed It Up” campaign, designed to spread knowledge of the benefits of high-speed Internet access as well as how to obtain it. The city also introduced a series of training and innovation-focused programs over the past several years, lowering its youth unemployment rate to only 5.4%. Click here to read more about the Sunshine Coast.

Sarnia is the largest city in Lambton County, which extends from the shores of Lake Huron in the north to the Lake St. Clair in the south. Nearly 60% of the county’s population is concentrated there, with the remaining 40% distributed across 2,800 square kilometers (695 sq mi) of the rest of the county. The sparsely populated county was, however, the site of North America’s first commercially drilled oil well. Petrochemical and refining industries are still its largest manufacturing and employment sector, and Sarnia-Lambton considers itself the center of the Great Lakes Industrial Corridor. The other mainstays of the economy are agriculture and tourism. Click here to read more about Sarnia-Lambton County.

The 22,000 people of Hudson live in a green stretch of the state of Ohio midway between the cities of Cleveland and Akron. Despite the major industrial disruptions of the last 40 years, the region is relatively prosperous. Its economy rests on a mix of manufacturing (polymers, automotive, fabricated metals, electrical and electronic parts and aerospace) and services (transportation, health, insurance, banking, finance and retail). Such name-brand companies as Goodyear, Bridgestone, FedEx, Lockheed Martin, Allstate Insurance and JP Morgan Chase have headquarters or major facilities there. Click here to read more about Hudson.

Chicago, on the shores of Lake Michigan, is a global city of 2.7 million. It is the center of America’s third largest metro economy, which produces more than US$690 billion in gross regional product. But all big cities have big challenges. What distinguishes the successful ones is how they rise to those challenges. To build a better tomorrow for all its citizens, Chicago is focused on enlisting technology, education, engagement and demand for a better quality of life to open the doors of opportunity. Click here to read more about Chicago.

Abbotsford is the largest city, outside Vancouver, in the province of British Columbia and is among the most diverse in Canada. The city borders the United States to the south and is part of the Vancouver metroplex, which has gifted it with both an independent economy and participation in the economic sphere of western Canada's gateway city. Click here to read more about Abbotsford.

Dr. Alex Pang studies people, technology and the worlds they make. He has a Ph.d. in History and Sociology of Science from the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Pang's latest book: Rest: Why You Get More Done When You Work Less is a study of the role of rest in the lives of some of history’s most creative and productive people. Rest focuses on the core ideas that rest and work are partners, that rest is an active skill and that rest dramatically enhances creativity. The book is available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or via local bookstores through Indiebound and is also available in Arabic, Chinese, Czech, Dutch, German, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, and Turkish.

Melissa manages the Arts Programme at KWMC, which includes developing exhibitions, installations and artist residencies. Her work includes producing a wide range of digital, photographic and film projects, and exploring the role that the arts can play in business development, social action and regeneration.

Sébastien Gagnon, Vice President of Sales & Public Affairs at bciti is a recognized leader in the municipal world in municipal management and intergovernmental relations. He has more than 20 years of experience in intergovernmental relations, and has worked both in the public and private sectors. He has a Master’s Degree in Marketing, a Postgraduate Degree in Commerce and a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science with a concentration in International Relations.