IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/telpol/v48y2024i6s0308596124000594.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

A hard look at quality and policy from the lens of the rural internet consumer

Author

Listed:
  • Hollman, Angela K.
  • Obermier, Timothy R.
  • Andrews, Jesse R.

Abstract

Utilizing a unique dataset of 296 mostly rural households in Nebraska, this study examines rural broadband satisfaction and the distribution of broadband types through two questions: Does reported household satisfaction with broadband connectivity differ with the access method? And how does the built environment influence the distribution of broadband technologies? Integrating detailed survey data on household satisfaction with high-resolution performance data, the novel dataset identifies significant variances in user satisfaction with five aspects of broadband quality, with fiber emerging as the highest rated across metrics. Additionally, k-means clustering analysis of the built environment—based on structure proximity and population density—reveals a series of nuanced relationships, including the effects of past and present regulatory action, that affect the current availability of broadband technologies in various rural locales. Employing these findings, we advocate for potential policy adjustments sensitive to rural built environment and user experience complexities, challenging the adequacy of current technology-agnostic approaches.

Suggested Citation

  • Hollman, Angela K. & Obermier, Timothy R. & Andrews, Jesse R., 2024. "A hard look at quality and policy from the lens of the rural internet consumer," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(6).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:telpol:v:48:y:2024:i:6:s0308596124000594
    DOI: 10.1016/j.telpol.2024.102762
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308596124000594
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.telpol.2024.102762?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Elizabeth A. Mack & Tony H. Grubesic, 2014. "US broadband policy and the spatio-temporal evolution of broadband markets," Regional Science Policy & Practice, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 6(3), pages 291-308, August.
    2. repec:oup:ajagec:v:99:y:2017:i:1:p:1-18. is not listed on IDEAS
    3. Tony H. Grubesic, 2015. "The Broadband Provision Tensor," Growth and Change, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 46(1), pages 58-80, March.
    4. Grubesic, Tony H. & Helderop, Edward & Alizadeh, Tooran, 2019. "Closing information asymmetries: A scale agnostic approach for exploring equity implications of broadband provision," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 43(1), pages 50-66.
    5. Barney Warf, 2013. "Contemporary Digital Divides In The United States," Tijdschrift voor Economische en Sociale Geografie, Royal Dutch Geographical Society KNAG, vol. 104(1), pages 1-17, February.
    6. Alizadeh, Tooran & Grubesic, Tony & Helderop, Edward, 2020. "Socio-spatial patterns of the national broadband network revealed: Lessons from greater Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 44(5).
    7. Glass, Victor & Tardiff, Timothy, 2021. "Reforming funding of universal access to telecommunications and broadband services: Approaches for the new decade," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 45(2).
    8. Grubesic, Tony H., 2012. "The U.S. National Broadband Map: Data limitations and implications," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 36(2), pages 113-126.
    9. Markum Reed & Alison Watts, 2018. "Product quality and competition: evidence from the broadband industry," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 50(24), pages 2719-2732, May.
    10. Glass, Victor & Tardiff, Timothy, 2019. "The Federal Communications Commission's rural infrastructure auction: What is hidden in the weeds?," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 43(8), pages 1-1.
    11. Mack, Elizabeth A. & Helderop, Edward & Keene, Thomas & Loveridge, Scott & Mann, John & Grubesic, Tony H. & Kowalkowski, Brian & Gollnow, Miranda, 2022. "A longitudinal analysis of broadband provision in tribal areas," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 46(5).
    12. Valentín-Sívico, Javier & Canfield, Casey & Low, Sarah A. & Gollnick, Christel, 2023. "Evaluating the impact of broadband access and internet use in a small underserved rural community," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 47(4).
    13. Isley, Catherine & Low, Sarah A., 2022. "Broadband adoption and availability: Impacts on rural employment during COVID-19," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 46(7).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Alizadeh, Tooran & Grubesic, Tony & Helderop, Edward, 2020. "Socio-spatial patterns of the national broadband network revealed: Lessons from greater Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 44(5).
    2. Mack, Elizabeth A. & Helderop, Edward & Keene, Thomas & Loveridge, Scott & Mann, John & Grubesic, Tony H. & Kowalkowski, Brian & Gollnow, Miranda, 2022. "A longitudinal analysis of broadband provision in tribal areas," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 46(5).
    3. King, Jesse & Gonzales, Amy L., 2023. "The influence of digital divide frames on legislative passage and partisan sponsorship: A content analysis of digital equity legislation in the U.S. from 1990 to 2020," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 47(7).
    4. Isley, Catherine & Low, Sarah A., 2022. "Broadband adoption and availability: Impacts on rural employment during COVID-19," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 46(7).
    5. Grubesic, Tony H. & Helderop, Edward & Alizadeh, Tooran, 2019. "Closing information asymmetries: A scale agnostic approach for exploring equity implications of broadband provision," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 43(1), pages 50-66.
    6. Rabbani, Maysam, 2024. "Internet price, speed, and disparity: The case of rural healthcare providers in the United States," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(2).
    7. Sahebali, M.W.W. & Sadowski, Bert M. & Nomaler, O. & Brennenraedts, R., 2021. "Rolling out of fibre optic networks in intermediate versus urban areas: An exploratory spatial analysis in the Netherlands," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 45(5).
    8. Łukasz Komorowski, 2024. "Digitalisation as a Challenge for Smart Villages: The Case of Poland," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 14(12), pages 1-22, December.
    9. Xia, Jun, 2022. "Juggling ecumenical wisdoms and xenophobic institutions: Framing and modelling China's telecommunications universal service and rural digitalization initiatives and policies," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 46(2).
    10. Oughton, Edward J. & Amaglobeli, David & Moszoro, Marian, 2023. "What would it cost to connect the unconnected? Estimating global universal broadband infrastructure investment," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 47(10).
    11. Briglauer, Wolfgang & Krämer, Jan & Palan, Nicole, 2024. "Socioeconomic benefits of high-speed broadband availability and service adoption: A survey," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(7).
    12. Philip Chen & Edward J Oughton & Pete Tyler & Mo Jia & Jakub Zagdanski, 2020. "Evaluating the impact of next generation broadband on local business creation," Papers 2010.14113, arXiv.org.
    13. Edward J. Oughton & Ashutosh Jha, 2021. "Supportive 5G Infrastructure Policies are Essential for Universal 6G: Assessment using an Open-source Techno-economic Simulation Model utilizing Remote Sensing," Papers 2102.08086, arXiv.org, revised Jun 2021.
    14. Sarah A. Low & Mallory L. Rahe & Andrew J. Van Leuven, 2023. "Has COVID‐19 made rural areas more attractive places to live? Survey evidence from Northwest Missouri," Regional Science Policy & Practice, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 15(3), pages 520-540, April.
    15. MA Xinxin & KOMATSU Sho, 2023. "Impact of E-commerce Development on Income Inequality: Evidence from rural China based on cross-county panel data," Discussion papers 23044, Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI).
    16. Caldarulo, Mattia & Mossberger, Karen & Howell, Anthony, 2023. "Community-wide broadband adoption and student academic achievement," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 47(1).
    17. Darrah Blackwater & Ilia Murtazashvili & Martin B. H. Weiss, 2024. "Polycentric systems for spectrum management: the case of Indigenous and tribal spectrum sovereignty," European Journal of Law and Economics, Springer, vol. 57(3), pages 465-491, June.
    18. Glass, Victor & Tardiff, Timothy, 2021. "Reforming funding of universal access to telecommunications and broadband services: Approaches for the new decade," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 45(2).
    19. Shi, Zheng, 2023. "The impact of regional ICT development on job quality of the employee in China," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 47(6).
    20. Setthasuravich, Prasongchai & Sirikhan, Kulacha & Kato, Hironori, 2024. "Spatial econometric analysis of the digital divide in Thailand at the sub-district level: Patterns and determinants," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(8).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:telpol:v:48:y:2024:i:6:s0308596124000594. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/30471/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.