IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/ags/uersrr/55944.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Broadband Internet's Value for Rural America

Author

Listed:
  • Stenberg, Peter L.
  • Morehart, Mitchell J.
  • Vogel, Stephen J.
  • Cromartie, John
  • Breneman, Vincent E.
  • Brown, Dennis M.

Abstract

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. In general, rural communities have less broadband Internet use than metro communities, with differing degrees of broadband availability across rural communities. Rural communities that had greater broadband Internet access had greater economic growth, which conforms to supplemental research on the benefits that rural businesses, consumers, and communities ascribe to broadband Internet use.

Suggested Citation

  • Stenberg, Peter L. & Morehart, Mitchell J. & Vogel, Stephen J. & Cromartie, John & Breneman, Vincent E. & Brown, Dennis M., 2009. "Broadband Internet's Value for Rural America," Economic Research Report 55944, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
  • Handle: RePEc:ags:uersrr:55944
    DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.55944
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://ageconsearch.umn.edu/record/55944/files/err78.pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.22004/ag.econ.55944?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Edward E Leamer & Michael Storper, 2001. "The Economic Geography of the Internet Age," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 32(4), pages 641-665, December.
    2. Kinsey, Jean D. & Buhr, Brian L., 2003. "E-Commerce: A New Business Model For The Food Supply/Demand Chain," Working Papers 14320, University of Minnesota, The Food Industry Center.
    3. Jay T. Akridge, 2003. "E-Business in the Agricultural Input Industries," Review of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 25(1), pages 3-13.
    4. Timothy F. Bresnahan & Erik Brynjolfsson & Lorin M. Hitt, 2002. "Information Technology, Workplace Organization, and the Demand for Skilled Labor: Firm-Level Evidence," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 117(1), pages 339-376.
    5. Stephan J. Goetz & David L. Debertin, 1996. "Rural-Urban Locational Choices of Medical Doctors: A County-Level Analysis," Review of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 18(4), pages 547-563.
    6. Catherine L. Mann & Jacob Funk Kirkegaard, 2006. "Accelerating the Globalization of America: The Role for Information Technology," Peterson Institute Press: All Books, Peterson Institute for International Economics, number 3900, January.
    7. Parker, Edwin B., 2000. "Closing the digital divide in rural America," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 24(4), pages 281-290, May.
    8. Gloy, Brent A. & Akridge, Jay T., 2000. "Computer And Internet Adoption On Large U.S. Farms," International Food and Agribusiness Management Review, International Food and Agribusiness Management Association, vol. 3(3), pages 1-16.
    9. Börje Johansson & Charlie Karlsson & Roger Stough (ed.), 2006. "The Emerging Digital Economy," Advances in Spatial Science, Springer, number 978-3-540-34488-9, March.
    10. Erik Brynjolfsson & Michael D. Smith, 2000. "Frictionless Commerce? A Comparison of Internet and Conventional Retailers," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 46(4), pages 563-585, April.
    11. Susan M. Capalbo & Christine N. Heggem, 1999. "Valuing Rural Health Care: Issues of Access and Quality," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 81(3), pages 674-679.
    12. Börje Johansson & Charlie Karlsson & Roger R. Stough, 2006. "Entrepreneurship, Clusters and Policy in the Emerging Digital Economy," Advances in Spatial Science, in: Börje Johansson & Charlie Karlsson & Roger Stough (ed.), The Emerging Digital Economy, chapter 1, pages 1-19, Springer.
    13. Henderson, Jason R. & Dooley, Frank J. & Akridge, Jay T., 2000. "Adoption Of E-Commerce Strategies For Agribusiness Firms," 2000 Annual meeting, July 30-August 2, Tampa, FL 21771, American Agricultural Economics Association (New Name 2008: Agricultural and Applied Economics Association).
    14. Lamie, R. David & Barkley, David L. & Markley, Deborah M., 2008. "Positive Examples and Lessons Learned from Rural Small Business Adoption of E-Commerce Strategies," UCED Working Papers 112891, Clemson University, University Center for Economic Development.
    15. Peter L. Stenberg, 2006. "Investment and Household Adoption of Communication and Information Services," Advances in Spatial Science, in: Börje Johansson & Charlie Karlsson & Roger Stough (ed.), The Emerging Digital Economy, chapter 12, pages 263-276, Springer.
    16. Whitacre, Brian E., 2011. "Estimating the Economic Impact of Telemedicine in a Rural Community," Agricultural and Resource Economics Review, Northeastern Agricultural and Resource Economics Association, vol. 40(2), pages 1-12, August.
    17. Just, David R. & Just, Richard E., 2001. "Harnessing the Internet for Farmers," Choices: The Magazine of Food, Farm, and Resource Issues, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 16(2), pages 1-5.
    18. Shane Greenstein, 2000. "Building and Delivering the Virtual World: Commercializing Services for Internet Access," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 48(4), pages 391-411, December.
    19. U. Blum, 1982. "Effects Of Transportation Investments On Regional Growth: A Theoretical And Empirical Investigation," Papers in Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 49(1), pages 169-184, January.
    20. Shane Greenstein & Jeff Prince, 2006. "The Diffusion of the Internet and the Geography of the Digital Divide in the United States," NBER Working Papers 12182, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    21. Chris Forman, 2005. "The Corporate Digital Divide: Determinants of Internet Adoption," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 51(4), pages 641-654, April.
    22. Crandall Robert W., 2008. "Letting Go? The Federal Communications Commission in the Era of Deregulation," Review of Network Economics, De Gruyter, vol. 7(4), pages 1-28, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Stenberg, Peter L., 2014. "The Farm Bill and Rural Economies: Broadband Investment Over the last Decade," 2014 Annual Meeting, July 27-29, 2014, Minneapolis, Minnesota 173277, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    2. Peter Stenberg, 2011. "Investment in Rural Broadband Technologies," ERSA conference papers ersa11p1028, European Regional Science Association.
    3. Stenberg, Peter L., 2018. "The purchase of Internet subscriptions in Native American households," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 42(1), pages 51-60.
    4. Peter L. Stenberg & Mitchell Morehart, 2012. "The existence of pent-up demand for rural broadband services: an exploration," Chapters, in: Charlie Karlsson & Börje Johansson & Roger R. Stough (ed.), Entrepreneurship, Social Capital and Governance, chapter 9, pages 221-240, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    5. Robert J. Stimson, 2014. "Proximity and endogenous regional development," Chapters, in: André Torre & Frédéric Wallet (ed.), Regional Development and Proximity Relations, chapter 1, pages 47-93, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    6. Peter Stenberg & Mitchell Morehart, 2011. "Broadband Internet Use by Economic Actors in Rural Regions," ERSA conference papers ersa10p1469, European Regional Science Association.
    7. Charlie Karlsson & Gunther Maier & Michaela Trippl & Iulia Siedschlag & Gavin Murphy, 2010. "ICT and Regional Economic Dynamics: A Literature Review," JRC Research Reports JRC59920, Joint Research Centre.
    8. Shane Greenstein, 2006. "Innovation and the Evolution of Market Structure for Internet Access in the United States," Discussion Papers 05-018, Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research.
    9. Ferrer, Stuart R.D. & Schroeder, D.H. & Ortmann, Gerald F., 2003. "Internet Use And Factors Affecting Adoption Of Internet Applications By Sugarcane Farm Businesses In The Kwazulu-Natal Midlands," 2003 Annual Conference, October 2-3, 2003, Pretoria, South Africa 19078, Agricultural Economics Association of South Africa (AEASA).
    10. Julia Bock-Schappelwein & Michael Böheim & Elisabeth Christen & Stefan Ederer & Matthias Firgo & Klaus Friesenbichler & Werner Hölzl & Mathias Kirchner & Angela Köppl & Agnes Kügler & Christine Mayrhu, 2018. "Politischer Handlungsspielraum zur optimalen Nutzung der Vorteile der Digitalisierung für Wirtschaftswachstum, Beschäftigung und Wohlstand," WIFO Studies, WIFO, number 61256, October.
    11. Forman, Chris & van Zeebroeck, Nicolas, 2019. "Digital technology adoption and knowledge flows within firms: Can the Internet overcome geographic and technological distance?," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(8), pages 1-1.
    12. Nurmilaakso, Juha-Miikka, 2008. "Adoption of e-business functions and migration from EDI-based to XML-based e-business frameworks in supply chain integration," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 113(2), pages 721-733, June.
    13. Martin Andersson & Börje Johansson, 2008. "Innovation Ideas and Regional Characteristics: Product Innovations and Export Entrepreneurship by Firms in Swedish Regions," Growth and Change, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 39(2), pages 193-224, June.
    14. Luigi Benfratello & Tiziano Razzolini & Alessandro Sembenelli, 2009. "Does ICT Investment Spur or Hamper Offshoring? Empirical Evidence from Microdata," Working papers 05, Former Department of Economics and Public Finance "G. Prato", University of Torino.
    15. Abdulqadir, Idris A. & Asongu, Simplice A., 2022. "The asymmetric effect of internet access on economic growth in sub-Saharan Africa," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 44-61.
    16. Bart van Ark, 2015. "From Mind the Gap to Closing the Gap. Avenues to Reverse Stagnation in Europe through Investment and Productivity Growth," European Economy - Discussion Papers 006, Directorate General Economic and Financial Affairs (DG ECFIN), European Commission.
    17. Richard Fabling & Steven Stillman & David C. Maré, 2011. "Immigration and Innovation," Working Papers 11_05, Motu Economic and Public Policy Research.
    18. Nicola Francesco Dotti & André Spithoven, 2017. "Spatial perspectives on knowledge brokers: Evidence from Brussels," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 49(10), pages 2203-2222, October.
    19. Arthur Grimes & Cleo Ren & Philip Stevens, 2012. "The need for speed: impacts of internet connectivity on firm productivity," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 37(2), pages 187-201, April.
    20. Prasanna Tambe, 2014. "Big Data Investment, Skills, and Firm Value," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 60(6), pages 1452-1469, June.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:ags:uersrr:55944. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: AgEcon Search (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/ersgvus.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.