SCORE announced the nationwide kick-off of a public/private consortium to develop training, tools and resources to help America’s small businesses compete in the Internet age by using broadband technologies. Here’s the press release:
Washington, D.C., April 7, 2010 /PRNewswire/ — SCORE “Counselors to America’s Small Business” is pleased to announce the formation of a public/private partnership to accelerate small business growth through access to broadband. SCORE, Fortune 500 Companies and leading technology firms launched a national initiative to accelerate broadband adoption. Learn more at www.score.org/broadband.html.
The consortium will help increase small business growth through the use of broadband technologies, as SCORE seeks to grow 1 million small businesses. SCORE, in consultation with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), will work to encourage small business success through the use of technology.
Leading technology firms in the United States and SCORE’s extensive network of 12,400 business mentors across the country are partnering to help level the playing field for small business through broadband access. SCORE supports the FCC’s Broadband Plan. The founding consortium partners are: AT&T, Best Buy, Cisco, Constant Contact, Google, HP, Intuit, Microsoft, Skype and Time Warner Cable Business Class. Supporters include DRT Strategies and Engage.
SCORE CEO Ken Yancey says, “Broadband connectivity is critical for business success in today’s marketplace. We want to make it easier for small businesses to access this technology to create efficiencies, leverage e-commerce, expand marketing, and increase social networking online.” Yancey adds, “This consortium will make it easier than ever for small businesses to learn about using technology to grow their businesses, using broadband to enable e-commerce and leveraging technology to meet the demands of today’s consumers.”
The new initiative will focus on increasing digital literacy, web skills, e-commerce capabilities and online communications tools usage for small businesses. Consortium founders are donating $1.125 million to The SCORE Foundation to support the SCORE Association’s local small business training, online training and resources to help small businesses adopt broadband technologies. SCORE will expand small business outreach by making new local workshops and online training and tools available through its 364 chapter offices and via www.score.org. These tools will help small businesses leverage technology and boost their productivity and growth.
Learn more at www.score.org/broadband.html.