Jacob Manlove

While access to broadband services has increased in recent years, many agricultural producers remain without access or are served by an inadequate connection. As many precision agriculture applications rely on data transfer through broadband networks, the expansion of broadband into rural areas has become critical for farm modernization. This study recruited Arkansas agriculture producers to complete a choice experiment on their willingness-to-pay (WTP) for a broadband connection.

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.

A growing portion of internet users rely solely on mobile devices such as smartphones for their online access. The percentage of “mobile-only” households increased from 9% in 2011 to 20% in 2015, more than doubling in only four years. As this shift continues, it leads to the question of what factors are driving the rise in mobile-only adoption. Using nationally representative data, this study uses logistic regressions and a decomposition technique to understand the trend.