In these difficult economic times, U.S. federal and state governments are looking for alternatives to cut costs of living for citizens. While the concept of upgraded infrastructure has long meant building more bridges and roads, political parties are focusing on a new area — broadband and communications infrastructure. 
Technology, it seems, is being explored as the solution that will allow the country to grow out of its current economic slump. What role will the satellite industry play in the building process? What technology and hardware will be necessary to achieve these goals?
    Already, there are several players in the industry planning for the years ahead. The third part of Satellite News’s three-part feature on the satellite industry’s role in updating America’s broadband infrastructure looks at the industry’s role in providing telecommuting solutions for the eco-conscious business.

Part 3 – Satellite’s Role in Telecommuting

[Satellite News 08-14-08] If a company wants to hold a board meeting where participants broadcast live from their living rooms in high-definition (HD) streaming video, a long list of equipment is required. First, each board member needs a computer, a high-quality web camera, a high-speed Internet connection which ideally will be connected by a hybrid fiber-satellite network and an HD provider with an office of technicians making sure everything runs smoothly.
    It may sound like a budget nightmare, but in the long term, teleconferencing may be cheaper and more efficient than driving to the board room. According to research conducted by Time Magazine, office equipment energy consumption rate at work office is twice as high as office equipment energy consumption rate at home. By working from home, each employee reduces energy used for work by 63 kilowatt hours per day or 5,400 kilowatt hours per year and saves an average of 2.5 weeks of work time (8 hours per day, 5 days per week) commuting — the length of an average vacation.
The cost of running equipment from home would be offset by the more than $1,700 in gasoline consumption savings for the employee. With these savings, the employee could purchase the necessary equipment. By the following year, the system has paid for itself — and tax break incentives for cutting energy costs are on the agenda of both major U.S. presidential candidates.
    “I have my camera next to my computer and I could quite comfortably video conference, face-to-face, with my boss in the United Kingdom,” said Simon Thrush, senior vice president for Arqiva, a network operator.
    HD streaming video for the Internet in the [United States] is in an embryonic phase, but it is picking up and its potential to grow is limitless, especially with rising energy costs and renewed focus on green business practices. “Video conferencing seemed to be the big thing 10 years ago and then it seemed to die off. It is definitely coming back,” said Thrush. “Right now, Arqiva is capable of providing streaming teleconferencing, phone in participation and [question and answer]. It is working extremely well, we have a lot of clients who come back to us and say ‘Wow, we did not realize this would be so cost-effective.’ The technology is there and we are able to provide our clients with these services with no hassle.”
    While Thrush knows that not everyone necessarily enjoys telecommuting, companies looking to cut costs should look at these services as a realistic and effective solution, he said.

Can the satellite industry claim the helm of yet another energy solution for the U.S. government? Some companies already are acting on it.
    Thales is leading an initiative to lower traffic congestion in urban areas by making it more expensive to drive. The solution — congestion pricing or “road charging,” which means that stubborn drivers who insist on taking private transportation to work in rush hour environments will pay more out of their pockets.
    Thales plans to implement tag-and-beacon technology with free-flow capability, satellite positioning and mobile communications, as well as conventional CCTV number plate recognition systems currently used for enforcement.
    "There are two issues in terms of the benefits of road charging," said Bernard Lamy, design authority for transportation systems in Thales. "The first is encouraging the population to move from private transport to public transport. But it’s not just that. If you make it more expensive to travel at the busiest times by using dynamic tariffing, it spreads the traffic peak over a longer period. That increases the fluidity of the traffic and as a consequence pollution is reduced. Those are direct effects of congestion pricing."
  
Lamy also suggests that the funds collected from these tariffs could be used to fund public transportation and increase capacity.
    The state of Virginia also is implementing similar structures with its HOT lanes, or high occupancy toll lanes, for the Washington D.C. beltway — the interstate that rings the city. The system will charge drivers who use the HOV lanes during rush hour an extra fee — sometimes as high as $30 a mile, according to the Virginia Department of Transportation. If gas hovering around $4 a gallon does not put a hurt on the commuter’s wallet, the extra fees may be the coup de grace.
    Will satellite solution providers start offering a high-speed HD telecommuting option as part of their package, like Arqiva? Will the facts and statistics be enough to entice companies into investigating a new market driven by future economic trends? Or will they end up being clients of the companies that do?