As gas prices soar, the economy slows and company profits languish, it could be tough to hang on to employees who commute by car to and from work. One technology that could help ease the pressure on workers and the companies that pay them:

Broadband Internet access.

With gas prices nationally approaching $4 a gallon, many companies will be looking for ways to save their workers — and the business itself — from the fast rise in fuel costs. By eliminating the daily round-trip commute and working from a home office that has a high-speed Web connection, the average American could save nearly an hour (actually 52 minutes) and 30 miles of driving every day.

Those stats are courtesy of the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. What’s that mean in dollars and cents? The average American commuter driving a car that gets 20 miles per gallon would use 1.36 gallons a day, 6.8 gallons a week. At $4 per gallon, this average commuter would save more than $110 a month.

And it’s not just workers’ bank accounts that would feel less pain. The environment would also get a boost. The benefits of reduced driving could account for more than $17.5 million in carbon offsets per year for the nation.

These are the findings of a recently-released report from the non-profit agency Connected Nation, which models broadband mapping and looks for ways to make technology work to help communities and the people who live in them.

These and other benefits of broadband access are detailed in the organization’s report, “The Economic Impact of Stimulating Broadband Nationally.” Among the study’s findings, the impact on U.S. businesses of a 7% increase in broadband adoption could result in:

• $92 billion through 2.4 million jobs created or saved annually
• $662 million saved per year in reduced healthcare costs
• $6.4 billion per year in mileage saving from unnecessary driving
• $17.5 million in carbon credits associated with 3.2 billion fewer pounds of CO2 emissions per year in
  the United States
• $35.2 billion in value from 3.8 billion more hours saved per year from accessing broadband at
  home, and
• $134 billion per year in total direct economic impact of accelerating broadband across the
  United States.

To read the full Connected Nation study, visit here.

Tags: broadband, commute, Economy, gas, high-speed, Internet, profits, Web, work from home