Richard Mahoney (Independent, Clean Elections Candidate, http://www.mahoneyforgovernor.com/)
(about Richard Mahoney...)

Broadband technology is today's conduit for advanced network applications. I would like to provide for small enterprise opportunities in the broadband service sector while maintaining a close eye on the evolving economic viability and role of SMEs in this area.

As far as existing broadband infrastructure is concerned, we need to take a closer look at operational continuity as it is affected by usage rate variability. The all too common bottleneck causes a business down time and ultimately lost revenues. This can be addressed. We need to form a public/private partnership commission to look at new allocation strategies to improve traffic flow.

Janet Napolitano (Democrat, Clean Elections Candidate, http://www.governor.state.az.us/)
(about Janet Napolitano...)

At a minimum, the State can and should help coordinate the approaches taken by counties and local communities to develop high capacity telecommunications infrastructure. Inconsistent approaches by various communities increase the cost of businesses seeking to enter telecommunications markets, which in turn increases the costs to consumers. As Governor, I will work with businesses, counties, and local governments to develop a consensus on statewide standards for high technology telecommunications infrastructure.

Matt Salmon (Republican, http://www.salmonforgovernor.com/)
(about Matt Salmon...)

As Governor, I will continue the efforts of the Government Information Technology Agency, especially, the Telecommunications Open Partnerships for Arizona (TOPAZ) initiative. TOPAZ is an important first step in aiding the rapid deployment of broadband services by aggregating government, educational and business telecommunications needs. According to GITA, since TOPAZ started the number of Arizona cities with broadband access has increased from 60 to 209. Such efforts are vital to promote broadband infrastructure and extend telecommunications offerings for Arizona citizens, governments and businesses.

However, studies in other states reveal that where the investment is in infrastructure only, that infrastructure is underutilized. That is why strategic planning is essential to aggregate demand and move disparate groups toward a common goal. Applications of E-learning, E-government, and E-business will drive us toward building a robust, high capacity infrastructure, but it is vital that groups advocating these applications work in concert with one another. The cabinet-level officer appointed to be in charge of economic policy and development for the state, will play a vital role in encouraging and coordinating these groups, providing focus, support, and awareness where new applications can be developed.