MACRUC Annual Education Conference

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MACRUC Annual Education Conference

• Broadband is there an Urban Digital Divide?

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Presentation to MARUC Conference Broadband in
Urban America

• Robert Atkinson
• June 3, 2008

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Data on Urban Broadband Availability Are Limited

• However, the California Broadband Task Force does
  provide some data
• In the San Francisco Bay Area just 1 of housing
  units in bay area cannot get broadband.
• In LA/Orange county, just 2 percent cant get
  broadband, and most of these homes are in more
  rural parts of the country.

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ITIF Survey on DC and Baltimore BB Availability

• Examined three low income neighborhoods in
  Washington DC and Baltimore, using Verizon and
  Comcast/Time Warner web sites to determine
  availability.
• DC Ward 8 (36 poverty), Ward 7 (25) and Ward 1
  (22)
• Baltimore RPD 108, Lower Park Heights RPD 123,
  Carroll Park, RPD 125 Cherry Hill

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DC Broadband Availability

• 24 homes sampled.
• 100 had access to cable BB (6 mbs for 42.99 for
  existing cable TV customers, and 57.99 for
  freestanding).
• 83 could subscribe to DSL (768 kbs, 19.99 per
  month 3mbs 29.99).

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Baltimore Broadband Availability

• 15 homes sampled.
• 93 had access to cable BB (6 mbs for 42.99 for
  existing cable TV customers, and 57.99 for
  freestanding).
• 100 could subscribe to DSL (768 kbs, 19.99 per
  month 3mbs 29.99).

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Broadband Speeds in the District of Columbia
According to Akamai Technologies, DC ranks 10th
among states in of BB connections faster than 5
mbs (27), but 3rd in the slowest connections of
less than 256 kbs. (17).
According to CWA, average BB speed in DC is lower
than US DC 1.37 kbs US 1.97 kbs
Sources Communication Workers of America, Speed
Matters A Report on Internet Speeds from All 50
States, 2007) Akamai, The State of the Internet
1st Quarter, 2008.
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Adoption Remains the Largest Challenge for Many
Urban Areas
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Home Broadband Adoption By Community Type
Source Pew Internet American Life Project,
Rural Broadband Internet Use (February 2006).
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with Broadband at Home by Race/Ethnicity
Source Pew Internet American Life Project and
National Telecommunications and Information
Administration
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with Broadband at Home by Education
Source Pew Internet American Life Project and
National Telecommunications and Information
Administration
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with Broadband at Home by Household Income
Source Pew Internet American Life Project and
National Telecommunications and Information
Administration
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Households with Computers Internet Access
Source Pew Internet American Life Project and
National Telecommunications and Information
Administration
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Implications

• Particularly important to help on the demand
  side
• spurring computer ownership
• supporting digital literacy
• supporting broadband through USF (e.g. a Linkup
  and lifeline program for broadband)
• limit taxation on broadband and ISP services

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www.itif.org ratkinson_at_itif.org