Winners of second "Broadband Changed My Life!" contest announced

The Alliance for Public Technology - a Speed Matters partner - recently announced the winners of its second "Broadband Changed My Life!" contest.

Almost two thousands contestants submitted their stories from all over the United States. The contests urged entrants to "tell the next president" how broadband has made a difference in their lives. The best answers were compiled into a memo for President-Elect Barack Obama and presented at a briefing on Capitol Hill.

The winners of this years contest are:

First Place- Nancy Reid, a former truck driver who lost her job earlier this year, who is using broadband to earn a college degree and change careers.

Second Place- Joanna Romanyshyn, the Public Information Officer of her university's rescue squad, who used a broadband connection to educate her college campus about the free rescue services offered by her organization. Romanyshyn redesigned and promoted the rescue squad's website on the campus's high-speed Internet line, causing call volume to increase by 33 percent.

Third Place- Jeanette Landin is able to support her family as a single-mother without leaving the home. Landin teaches online classes to adults from home.

Honorable Mention- Martha Mowatt, who uses the Internet to allow her patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) to participate in "support groups" and communicate with their families when they were previously unable to do so. Broadband Internet also allows patients to have virtual visits with neurologists specializing in ALS - which are rare in the Midwest, where Mowatt lives.

Broadband Changed My Life! Winners Announced by Non-profit Technology Leader (Alliance for Public Technology)