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Home Is Where the Internet Is? High-speed Internet’s Impact on Rural Housing Values

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  • Kelsey L. Conley
  • Brian E. Whitacre

Abstract

The deployment of faster household Internet speeds enables new opportunities for entertainment, social interaction, and personal development, and many consider such access an essential component of everyday life. However, rural residents face lower availability, slower speeds and limited provider options, putting them at a disadvantage when compared to their urban counterparts. Connected rural households, especially those with higher speeds, may experience a premium on their home value. Data from the National Broadband Map, the Federal Communications Commission, and over 2,700 housing transactions from June 2011 to June 2017 are used to examine the impact of broadband availability on housing values in two rural Oklahoma counties via a hedonic price model. The results find no support for the existence of a broadband premium, and stress that differences across counties are crucial in assessing rural housing prices.

Suggested Citation

  • Kelsey L. Conley & Brian E. Whitacre, 2020. "Home Is Where the Internet Is? High-speed Internet’s Impact on Rural Housing Values," International Regional Science Review, , vol. 43(5), pages 501-530, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:inrsre:v:43:y:2020:i:5:p:501-530
    DOI: 10.1177/0160017620918652
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    Cited by:

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    2. Biedny, Christina & Whitacre, Brian E. & Van Leuven, Andrew J., 2024. "Do Gigabits Mean Business? “Ultra-Fast” broadband availability's effect on business births," Information Economics and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    3. Boyce, Mckenzie, 2024. "Willingness to pay for broadband: A case study of Wisconsin," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(10).
    4. Klein, Gordon J., 2022. "Fiber-broadband-internet and its regional impact—An empirical investigation," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 46(5).
    5. Tooran Alizadeh & Edward Helderop & Tony H. Grubesic & Richard Ferrers, 2024. "The Multi-Technology Footprint of the National Broadband Network in Australia: Exploring the Urban-Regional Divide and Socio-spatial Patterns for Inequality," International Regional Science Review, , vol. 47(2), pages 159-181, March.
    6. Biedny, Christina & Whitacre, Brian & Gallardo, Roberto, 2022. "Do ‘dig once’ and permitting policies improve fiber availability?," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 46(5).

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