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Rural Broadband
Peter Stenberg, Ph.D.USDA-Economic Research Service
Presented at the FCC Staff Workshop "Building the Fact Base: The State of Broadband Adoption and Utilization," August 19, 2009
The views expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Economic
Research Service or the U.S. Department of Agriculture
Online households with broadband access by income, 2007
50
55
60
65
70
75
80
85
90
95
100 2
5,00
0 -
29,9
99
30,
000
-34
,999
35,
000-
39,9
99
40,
000
-49
,999
50,
000
-59
,999
60,
000
-74
,999
75,
000
-99
,999
100
,000
-14
9,99
9
150
,000
and
over
household income
per
cen
t o
f al
l h
ou
seh
old
s w
ith
In
tern
et
acce
ss
total
metro
nonmetro
Source: ERS
Broadband Internet in Rural Households
Broadband Internet Availability
County Representation of Average Broadband Provision per Square Kilometer, 2000
Change in Farm Broadband Use, 2005-2007
Conclusion• Rapid broadband rollout, but not universal.
• Sharp differences in conversion rates across the country.
• Some credence to the common hypothesis that people do choose to use broadband if given the option.
• The preponderance of DSL service for farms indicates both the mostly rural location of most farms as well as Internet users finding satellite a less desirable option.
• Government policies that encourage deployment of broadband services have broadened, and will further broaden, availability in Rural America as they address unserved and underserved communities.
