Improving the business climate in Maine, and keeping more of our high school graduates from leaving the state, are topics constantly on the minds of politicians, educators and business owners. Fortunately, Maine already has one major ally to make each topic a reality: broadband Internet.

The high-speed Internet we rely on daily for email, social media or following news is also something more serious. It is a vital connection to the world economy. It is every bit as important for Maine as roads and piers and airports. It provides our state with the opportunity to overcome the longstanding problems of isolation and distance from markets that have plagued Maine’s economy for centuries.

But there is more than opportunity here. There is also danger. Other states, other nations, are racing ahead to develop broadband communication. If we fall behind in installing and using broadband technology, we will remain isolated and distant from markets relative to our competitors for another century.

The strategy laid out in the recently released report “Broadband: The Road to Maine’s Future” from the governor’s Broadband Capacity Building Task Force, is designed to take advantage of the opportunity — and avoid the danger. The report is the product of a committee of nine leaders in the private and public sectors in Maine.

The proposed strategy will create jobs, reduce government costs and attract and retain young people. The effort would be led by state government, but involve the participation and investment of all institutions and individuals in the state.

Although it is a win-win strategy, we are under no illusions that its implementation will be easy. It requires people and institutions to change, to learn new skills, to invest in new technologies, to take risks. Change is difficult. But change is achievable with leadership. That is what we hope our report stimulates.

The Broadband Capacity Building Task Force has worked to develop achievable, high-impact recommendations that stimulate and expand the use of broadband, and cover the four sectors of: health care, economic development, education and state and local government.

I chose to serve as chairman of that task force because I know how important connectivity has been for the businesses I have run in order to market and promote themselves, as well as to communicate with all their stakeholders. It has been vital for my family members to connect with other family members around the world, and for the causes I believe in to build communities and engage supporters.

Maine planning and research firm Planning Decisions Inc. estimates that if all recommendations are followed, the cumulative impact on the Maine economy during the next 10 years would be the addition of 11,000 jobs, $500 million in new income, and a savings of $70 million a year for state and local governments.

A Maine completely connected to high-speed Internet is a Maine that is attractive to young people as a place to live, work and play; that is growing in jobs and income; that has reduced the cost of living, the cost of health care, and the cost of government; and that provides individuals with choices at work, at school, in health care, and in dealing with government.

It is also a vital link for health care providers to connect with other professionals to provide much-needed services to patients. Broadband can also provide the connection for elderly people to stay in their homes later in life and to have access to help and support as needed.

Ninety-two percent of Maine residents have access to broadband, and about 75 percent of Mainers use broadband in the home, according to the ConnectME Authority. The take rate — the proportion of households that subscribe to broadband Internet when it is available — is about 75 percent in Maine. It is obvious that Mainers of all ages believe that being on the information superhighway is important to them.

Broadband matters to Maine because it can help address the state’s problems of a slow-growing economy, a high per capita cost for essential public services (health care, primary and secondary education, transportation, etc.) and an aging, slow-growing population.

Warren Cook is the founder of Maine Network Partners and chairman of the governor’s Broadband Capacity Building Task Force. Previously, he ran both Saddleback and Sugarloaf Mountains, and he has been involved in various capacities with many of Maine’s nonprofit organizations.