Is enough work being done to understand and quantify the impact of rural broadband investment in Canada?
There were a couple of interesting studies published in recent issues of Telecom Policy. In the May edition, I read “Evaluating the impact of broadband access and internet use in a small underserved rural community” [pdf, 4.1MB], looking at the impact of broadband in an under-served community in north-western Missouri.
The Missouri research had two primary findings:
- changes in using the internet for employment, education, and health could not be directly attributed to the internet intervention, and
- the internet intervention was associated with benefits stemming from the ability to use multiple devices at once.
The Missouri study is especially interesting because it examined improving service in underserved rather than unserved communities.
The other paper is from the July, 2023 issue: “Economic growth and broadband access: The European urban-rural digital divide” [pdf, 2.1MB]. Conclusions from the European study found the benefits aren’t limited to densely populated urban areas. It found economic growth across all regions, highlighting a need for rural broadband investment to close the urban-rural digital divide. “These results potentially indicate the presence of infant rural industries and technologies which rely on high-speed and high-quality broadband infrastructure to sustainably mature, aligning with the emergence of innovations in smart farming technologies and reassuring its importance in the future.” Not surprisingly, the European study observed private investments focus on providing faster connection rates in urban areas, supporting the use of public-private initiatives for rural broadband.
We know that there are broader benefits of broadband adoption, as I discussed in a blog post a couple weeks ago.
I started the year with a post looking at a policy agenda for the year ahead.
Over the summer, I’d like to put together a research agenda for telecom focused academic studies in Canada. What would you want to see on that list?