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 will launch a national initiative to accelerate broadband adoption.

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. “Broadband connectivity is critical for business success in today’s marketplace,” said SCORE CEO Ken Yancey. “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. 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 to The SCORE Foundation free or discounted services and applications, training content, train-the-trainer assistance and funding.

SCORE will expand its services, through its 364 local chapters, to use these new resources and help small businesses leverage technology and boost their productivity. For more details, visit www.score.org/Broadband_event_2010.html.