Verizon: Can you hear me now?

Verizon is spending heavily on communications technology along Florida's Gulf Coast and across the state. The company sank $347 million into its Florida wireline networks and information technology infrastructure in 2012. More than 1.2 million Tampa Bay area homes and businesses had Verizon's fiber optic FiOS services available by late December.

The region's economic health is increasingly tied to communications networks, says Jeanmarie Milla, Verizon's Florida region operations president, in a statement. “Advanced networks spur innovation, commerce, business development, learning and communication at an accelerated pace.”

But commerce and economic health aren't the only benefits from the improved communication. More than half of respondents to a Verizon survey indicated interest in remote health monitoring and virtual medical visits, which are enabled by high-speed networks and innovative applications.

More than half of U.S. consumers now list Internet service as their home's most important convenience, according to Verizon.