We live in a world of YouTube videos, online gaming, and video conferencing, but 10 percent of American adults still use dial-up. A 2008 Pew Internet and American Life Project study cites lack of infrastructure as one major reason.

Enter Ball State University

In 2005, Intel Corp. named Ball State University the No. 1 wireless campus in the nation, and the university has continued to build upon that reputation as a national leader in technology through its broadband testing and wireless research of WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access).

Ball State was granted a temporary 3.5 GHz research license by the Federal Communications Commission in 2006 to be one of the first entities to test and deploy WiMAX in the United States. The study focused on the development and distribution of the high-speed technology to rural and underserved areas throughout the Midwest and around the country. A complete report of its findings was released in 2007.

In 2008-09, researchers from the Ball State's Office of Information Technology and the Center for Information and Communication Sciences (CICS) are testing mobile applications on the WiMAX 802.16e platform, the latest version of the broadband wireless system, and evaluating the performance of "Smart Beamforming," a technology that selectively focuses a radio signal to a specific target while rejecting any other interfering signals. This results in a stronger, more reliable wireless connection for users.

Students from the Department of Landscape Architecture, Department of Geography, and CICS are also involved in the testing process, giving them real-world immersive learning experiences with cutting-edge technology. The efforts from this emerging media endeavor have resulted in partnerships with Cisco, Alvarion, and Digital Bridge, which are working with Ball State to examine the ability to transmit to mobile units using this telecommunications technology.

The goal: No matter where you live, or where you go, you can get a high-speed connection.