County Urged to Make Faster Connections Broadband, Telework Pushed at Forum By Rosalind S. Helderman (Washington Post, October 3, 2004) reports on the Loudoun Economic Summit, where "...more than 225 local business and government leaders [met] at an economic forum at Lansdowne on Friday that was designed to speed the spread of the gospel of teleworking and to push for the technology infrastructure to make it happen."

'William Mularie, chief executive of the Telework Consortium, a nonprofit, government-funded organization, said he hoped the conference would spur new energy and inspiration, leading to continuing discussions among enthused participants to help Loudoun County become a national model in using the technology. "There are a lot of movers and shakers here," he said.

'Without a shift in work patterns that gets Loudoun commuters off the roads, Mularie warned, the county could find its energy sapped as new workers start to live farther and farther from Washington. "We're going to go down economically and will just become a doormat for commuting from West Virginia if we don't change," he said.

'Government must take a leading role in ensuring the spread of broadband technology, Mularie said, likening the spread of the necessary infrastructure to the massive road and railroad building projects of the past.

' "The market alone will not drive us where we need to be," he said.'

The event was held Oct. 1, 2004 in Lansdowne, VA to showcase a number of ongoing telework pilots in the area. The event was cosponsored by  Loudoun Business, The Telework Consortium, Lansdowne Community Development & OpenBand. Featured speakers included Congressman Frank Wolf {R-VA}, author and futurist George Gilder, and UTOPIA's Paul Morris, among others.

Summit materials will be available soon on the Telework Consortium's website.

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