State of Broadband in Southern Delaware

INSTITUTE FOR PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION • SCHOOL OF PUBLIC POLICY & ADMINISTRATION • COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES WWW.IPA.UDEL.EDU

State of Broadband in Southern Delaware

Troy Mix

Picking Up Speed: Delaware Broadband for Economic Development

Elbert N. and Ann V. Carvel Research and Education CenterGeorgetown, Delaware

May 20, 2015


Defining broadband

• Advanced telecommunications capability– “high-speed, switched, broadband…that enables

users to originate and receive high-quality voice, data, graphics, and video telecommunications”

• Key factors– Technology neutral– Speed

• From 4 Mbps/1 Mbps to 25 Mbps/3 Mbps– Latency– Consistency, reliability, and redundancy

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Quality of life

Jobs

Future opportunity



• Extent of infrastructure and service

• Adoption and use rates

• Assessing potential impacts

• Charting a path forward

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EXTENT OF INFRASTRUCTURE AND SERVICE


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% population with access to 3 Mbps downloads / 768kbps uploads, 2014


% population with access to 25 Mbps download speeds or higher, 2014

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How does southern Delaware’s % population served by 25 Mbps+ compare?

• Kent County (95%)– #151 of 1,017 counties with similar rural character

– #21 of 280 other “Rural Govt. Districts”

• Sussex County (93%)– #206 of 1,017 counties with similar rural character

– #30 of 368 “Bedroom Communities to Midsize Centers”


1.5 Mbps+

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25 Mbps+

National Broadband Map, http://www.broadbandmap.gov/speed, June 2014.

http://www.broadbandmap.gov/speed


% population with access to 2 or more wireline providers, 2014

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% population with access to 25 Mbps download speeds

% population with 2 or more wireline providers

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ADOPTION AND USE RATESState of Broadband in Southern Delaware

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% farms accessing Internet, 201213


% farms using Cable or Fiber to access Internet, 2012

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How does farm Internet use in Sussex County compare?

• Internet Use (70%)– #562 of 1,016 counties with similar rural character

– #18 of top 50 broiler producing counties

• Cable or Fiber Internet Use (25%)– #115 of 1,016 counties with similar rural character

– #3 of top 50 broiler producing counties


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ASSESSING POTENTIAL IMPACTSState of Broadband in Southern Delaware

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Quality of Life

• Higher rates of broadband adoption can result in healthier behavior– Whitacre, B., & Brooks, L. (2014).

• Faster speeds, lower latency allow more entertainment & communication options

• Telemedicine, telehealth, and telework– Stenberg, P., Morehart, M., Vogel, S., Cromartie, J., Breneman, V., &

Brown, D. (2009).


Jobs• Earlier availability spurred employment growth

– Stenberg, P., Morehart, M., Vogel, S., Cromartie, J., Breneman, V., & Brown, D. (2009).

• Broadband adoption associated with increased incomes and entrepreneurship– Whitacre, B., Gallardo, R., & Strover, S. (2014).

• Biggest productivity gains w/skilled workforce– Mack, E., & Faggian, A. (2013).

• Precision ag. will demand more connectivity– Whitacre, B. E., Mark, T. B., & Griffin, T. W. (2014).


Future Opportunities

• Skills training necessary to best exploit broadband in rural areas– Win-win

• Value for education

• Telework & Distance learning

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CHARTING A PATH FORWARDState of Broadband in Southern Delaware

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Conclusions• Infrastructure and service

– Some gaps in western/southern Kent & Sussex

– Options for redundancy seem relatively limited

– Generally, benefits from “metro” location

• Adoption and use– Residential and agricultural use rate modest

– Cable and fiber adoption higher than average


Elements of a potential path forward

• Target infrastructure to fill geographic gaps with specific use cases in mind

• Technical user networks nurture skill sets & practices for enhanced productivity

• Digital literacy and skills development

• Specific targets and process for evaluation

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Contact information:

Troy Mix, AICPPolicy ScientistInstitute for Public AdministrationUniversity of Delaware(302) [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]


References

Mack, E., & Faggian, A. (2013). Productivity and Broadband The Human Factor.

International Regional Science Review, 36(3), 392-423.

Stenberg, P., Morehart, M., Vogel, S., Cromartie, J., Breneman, V., & Brown, D. (2009).

Broadband Internet's value for rural America. Washington, DC: US Department of

Agriculture. Economic Research Service, Economic Research Report(78).

Whitacre, B., & Brooks, L. (2014). Do broadband adoption rates impact a community's

health? Behaviour & Information Technology, 33(7), 767-779.

Whitacre, B., Gallardo, R., & Strover, S. (2014). Does rural broadband impact jobs and

income? Evidence from spatial and first-differenced regressions. The Annals of

Regional Science, 53(3), 649-670.

Whitacre, B. E., Mark, T. B., & Griffin, T. W. (2014). How Connected Are Our Farms?

Choices, 29(3).

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State of Broadband in Southern Delaware

Government & Nonprofit

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