Knowing these issues can help us all identity opportunities and threats to strengthening Hawai`i’s digital economies. These issues are important to anyone wishing to support a strong digital economy in Hawai`i.

I’ve shortened the Wired article into the following scorecard (link to full post at bottom): 

Broadband Grade:  
McCain: D
Obama: B 

H1B Visas Grade:
McCain: B+
Obama: C

Green Tech Grade:
McCain: B
Obama: A

Net Nuetrality Grade:
McCain: D
Obama: A

Spectrum Grade:
McCain: B
Obama: B

Read the full post at Wired.com:

Obama vs. McCain: The Wired Scorecard

Brent.fm post on TV Whitespaces includes video from Google.

Local comments below, national comments at Wired please.

Now that September 27th has passed, here’s a couple next steps we can take to grow this movement locally:

1. Consider green jobs when you vote on November 4th and urge others to join you. We’re sending a separate event report to the mayoral candidates and we’ll publish any responses on our website.
2. Let’s get together again on Monday October 6th at 6pm at the Hawai`i Innovation Center at Hilo. We’ll use the opportunity to bring more folks into the fold that couldn’t make the event this past Saturday. We had a really successfully event but instead of a big celebration, let’s use this meeting to plan subsequent efforts. Specifically, let’s address the following:

•  Organization
• Mission and goals
• Next steps

We’re ready to build a new greener local economy. It’s time to get to work. We’ve planted the seeds for powerful green-collar training programs, clean energy investments on Hawai`i Island and we’re green jobs-focused. So let’s rally the social and business networks. Let’s engage our leaders to invest in us. No matter who wins at any level on November 4th, we will need to take our efforts to a new level after the election.

Mahalo a nui loa for coming to Saturday’s event. Mahalo for hanging around and sharing your thoughts about green jobs. Mahalo for your participation. 

In case you missed the promo video…

Many folks in our own local economy work at least part-time online. Some sell products while others have figured out how to sell knowledge or provide a service remotely. Others use web-based tools to simply monetize the popularity of their websites. Our digital economy is growing and one day it will help us become “sustainable island.”

The net-effect of teaching people how to sustain themselves or thrive using a computer and an Internet connection is straight out of science fiction. It’s also an ideal setup for a remote paradise.

Here in our isolated, micro-eco-system we have great potential by strengthening our digital economies. As we strive to become the model for other sustainability efforts (food, energy, health) we need to consider the ways digitization is helping reduce consumption and preserve the local environment.

Another largely digital force, Google, is also contributing in many ways. First by working with other industry giants, Microsoft and Yahoo! to setup giant green data centers and now by dedicating resources to help educate and create renewable energy sources.

Learn how Google is, “Building a future that’s clean and green”. 

Five Critical Success Factors

Let’s continue outlining what we need to promote and strengthen our digital economies in Hawaii. Any help is greatly appreciate. Uhm, actually, your participation is required. Please pay particular attention to #3 below and comment below.

1. Availability – bandwidth, training and the affordability of these resources will dictate any need to improve our digital economies. If the Internet isn’t highly available and affordable in Hawaii, there’s simply no need to pursue a digital economy. Therefore, we believe that keeping our systems affordable and available are the highest priority.
2. Understanding – our ability to “get it” will be directly proportionate to our ability to harness the disruptive nature of the Internet.
3. Personal adoption – We need to embrace our digital economies at all levels including, age, demographics, government, schools, universities, businesses, non-profits and individuals. This includes public officials and community leaders at the highest levels. While adopting at the organizational level is important for availability within an organization, the leaders of the organization must personally adopt the web as a tool and make it their own. Those who do “get it” must demand that public officials demonstrate their adoption levels through participation.
4. Assessment and Goal Setting – To succeed we need to know where we are and where we’re going. Green Collar Technologies is compiling a list of resources.
   1. How much bandwidth is available? By area? Future projections?
   2. How much electronic commerce is currently being conducted in Hawaii? Annually? By region?
   3. How many citizens are working on digital projects? How many online jobs exist? How many telecommuters? How many workers in Hawaii spend over 50% of their job online?
5. Analysis, reporting, transparency and ethics – There’s a distinct and obvious absence of key players involvement in raising awareness of the issues. See #2-3. Fear still seems prevalant in many areas as some leaders allow others to represent themselves online. Increased transparency means key players should be writing in blogs to provide updates on key issues. It is becoming increasingly unethical to represent yourself online, through an intermediary in an effort to seem to be something you are not.

The list of five will surely grow and shrink over the next few years. Look beyond a sustainable Hawaii and you’ll find room for growth in digital economies. I have a hunch that the former may never exist without the latter. Anyone agree?