Investment in 4G mobile broadband networks can fuel U.S. performance in the global race to exploit the potential of this advanced infrastructure and benefit the national economy through the expenditures made by wireless firms, their suppliers, and the workers these industries employ.
Category: Studies
Economic Impact of Wireless Rural Broadband
This study, utilizing federal and state level statistics and relying on econometric analysis, estimates the economic impact that full deployment of rural wireless broadband would have on rural America. It is based on the premise that requiring interoperability among all carriers operating in the 700 MHz band and data roaming, the fundamental building blocks for rural and regional broadband deployment, will enable investment and, consequently, rapid deployment of wireless broadband infrastructure in unserved and underserved geographies.
FTTH Generates $40 Billion in New Economic Activity
Michael Render’s latest FTTH survey shows nearly 20 million North American homes passed and more than 6.4 million customers – a thousandfold increase in a decade and a nice jump in the past six months. Perhaps more amazing is hard evidence that FTTH stimulates economic activity.
Does Broadband Boost Local Economic Development?
This report assesses whether policies to raise broadband availability will contribute, as hoped, to local economic development. PPIC analysis relies on the fact that broadband technology has diffused unevenly throughout the United States, thus allowing us to compare economic indicators between areas with greater and less growth in broadband availability. Using broadband data from the Federal Communications Commission and economic data from several government and proprietary sources, researchers examine broadband availability and economic activity throughout the nation between 1999 and 2006.
Next Generation Broadband as a Municipal Utility
It is in the national interest that higher-speed networks proliferate quickly and to the greatest extent possible – and that special measures be taken to ensure that these networks can be accessed by people who live beyond the major metropolitan areas. Accordingly, it is the position of the FTTH Council that anyone who has the means and the desire to build an FTTH network should be allowed and encouraged to do so.
USDA: “Broadband Internet’s Value to Rural America”
As broadband—or high-speed—Internet use has spread, Internet applications requiring high transmission speeds have become an integral part of the “Information Economy,” raising concerns about those who lack broadband access. This report analyzes (1) rural broadband use by consumers, the community-at-large, and businesses; (2) rural broadband availability; and (3) broadband’s social and economic effects on rural areas. It also summarizes results from an ERS-sponsored workshop on rural broadband use, and other ERS-commissioned studies.
The Effects of Broadband Deployment on Output and Employment
High-speed internet access has developed rapidly in the last decade and is increasingly viewed as essential infrastructure for our global information economy. For example, as recently as mid-2000 there were only 4.1 million broadband lines in the United States and only 3.2 million of these were residential lines. Thus, in mid-2000 less than one household in thirty could access the internet at a download speed of 200 kbps or greater. Six years later, the number of broadband lines, excluding mobile wireless connections, had soared to more than 53.5 million, 49 million of which were in residences. Residential penetration had therefore risen to nearly 50 percent by the middle of last year. (If mobile wireless connections are included, total U.S. broadband lines had risen to more than 64.6 million lines.)
FTTH Gives Homeowners a Raise
If you’ve recently placed your home on the market and are one of the lucky few in this country to be served with fiber to the home (FTTH), then you may have a little bonus headed your way. As FTTH deployments continue to escalate across the land, there is growing evidence that points to an increase in home valuation as a result of this ultra-broadband amenity. In many cases, real estate appraisals and selling prices for homes connected with fiber are outpacing their copper-served brethren. If you fall into this category and you didn’t factor an optical fiber connection into the selling price of your home, then you may need to have a talk with your realtor.
Measuring Broadband’s Economic Impact (MIT/Carnegie Mellon)
From 1999 to 2002, American communities with broadband access did significantly better than those without.
Economic Development Through Bandwidth
Economic impacts and the business case for broadband by Strategic Networks Group
Broadband and Economic Development: A Municipal Case Study From Florida
In this paper, George S. Ford and Thomas M. Koutsy explore whether broadband investment by municipalities has an effect on economic growth. To do so, they employ an econometric model to compare economic growth in Lake County, Florida, with other similar Florida counties. In 2001, Lake County – a small county in central Florida – began generally offering private businesses and municipal institutions access to one of Florida’s most extensive, municipally-owned broadband networks, with fiber optic connections to hospitals, doctor offices, private businesses, and 44 schools. Lake County has experienced approximately 100% greater growth in economic activity – a doubling – relative to comparable Florida counties since making its municipal broadband network generally available to businesses and municipal institutions in the county.
Does Municipal Supply of Communications Crowd-Out Private Communications Investment?
There are 2,007 municipalities across the United States that provide electricity service to their constituents. Of these, over 600 provide some sort of communications services to the community. An important policy question is whether or not public investment in communications crowds out private investment, or whether such investment encourages additional entry by creating wholesale markets and economic growth.
Study of Economic and Community Benefits of Cedar Falls, Iowa’s Municipal Telecommunications Network
The purpose of this study was to investigate the economic growth and quality of life benefits a municipal communications system stimulates. Data was collected to compare the level of activity within two adjoining communities, Cedar Falls and Waterloo commonly referred to as the “Cedar Valley”. The specific areas measured include economic development (business recruitment, business retention and expansion), enhanced education, improved healthcare, competitive advantages and population growth. The following presents the findings in each of these identified areas.
South Dundas Economic Impact Study
The Township of South Dundas invested $750,000 CAD in 2000 to build a fibre optic network. The goal of this investment was to provide broadband connectivity to South Dundas and promote local economic development. To conduct an economic impact study of the South Dundas fibre network, SNG collected data from the network subscribers, identified the direct effects to those organizations, and assessed those impacts on the local economy