While national rankings place Delaware at or near the top on many measures of average Internet speeds, obtaining affordable access to reliable, high-speed connections remains a challenge for many businesses and households in rural southern Delaware. This presentation outlines the local geography of broadband access, use, and impacts. It was presented as part of the May 20, 2015 forum "Picking Up Speed: Delaware Broadband for Economic Development" held at the University of Delaware, Carvel Research & Education Center in Georgetown, Delaware.
Digital Transformation of the Heritage Sector and its Practical Implications
State of Broadband in Southern Delaware
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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 Center
Georgetown, Delaware
May 20, 2015
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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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State of Broadband in Southern Delaware
• 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
State of Broadband in Southern Delaware
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% population with access to 3 Mbps
downloads / 768kbps uploads, 2014
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% 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”
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1.5 Mbps+
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25 Mbps+
National Broadband Map, http://www.broadbandmap.gov/speed, June 2014.
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% 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 RATES
State of Broadband in Southern Delaware
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% farms accessing Internet, 2012
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% 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 IMPACTS
State 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).
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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).
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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 FORWARD
State 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
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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, AICP
Policy Scientist
Institute for Public Administration
University of Delaware
(302) 831-6191
mix@udel.edu
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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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