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An evaluation of the Connected Nation broadband adoption program

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  • Manlove, Jacob
  • Whitacre, Brian

Abstract

Closing the digital divide and increasing broadband adoption within households and communities continues to be a target for government and nonprofit groups. While a large number of studies have examined policies and programs aimed at improving broadband infrastructure availability, little analysis to date has focused on evaluating efforts to increase adoption. One of the most well-known programs focused on adoption is Connected Nation, which partnered with 14 states to provide local curricula aimed at raising residential connection rates. This analysis uses a generalized difference-in-difference methodology to evaluate the effectiveness of the Connected Nation program in 5 states during 2012 and 2013. The results indicate that participation in the Connected Nation program had no significant impact on broadband adoption rates. This paper represents a rigorous evaluation of one of the most well-known adoption-oriented programs and emphasizes that measurable impacts of such efforts may not accrue over the short term.

Suggested Citation

  • Manlove, Jacob & Whitacre, Brian, 2019. "An evaluation of the Connected Nation broadband adoption program," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 43(7), pages 1-1.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:telpol:v:43:y:2019:i:7:2
    DOI: 10.1016/j.telpol.2019.02.003
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    5. Pender, John & Goldstein, Joshua & Mahoney-Nair, Devika, 2022. "Impacts of the Broadband Initiatives Program on broadband adoption and home telework," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 46(8).
    6. Han, Luyi & Wojan, Timothy R. & Goetz, Stephan J., 2023. "Experimenting in the cloud: The digital divide's impact on innovation," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 47(7).
    7. Chang, Jieun, 2021. "Broadband technology opportunities program public computer center grants and residential broadband adoption," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 45(8).
    8. Philip Chen & Edward J Oughton & Pete Tyler & Mo Jia & Jakub Zagdanski, 2020. "Evaluating the impact of next generation broadband on local business creation," Papers 2010.14113, arXiv.org.
    9. Biedny, Christina & Whitacre, Brian & Gallardo, Roberto, 2022. "Do ‘dig once’ and permitting policies improve fiber availability?," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 46(5).
    10. Laura Robinson & Jeremy Schulz & Matías Dodel & Teresa Correa & Eduardo Villanueva-Mansilla & Sayonara Leal & Claudia Magallanes-Blanco & Leandro Rodriguez-Medina & Hopeton S. Dunn & Lloyd Levine & Ro, 2020. "Digital Inclusion Across the Americas and Caribbean," Social Inclusion, Cogitatio Press, vol. 8(2), pages 244-259.

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