Internet Use Survey 30th Anniversary Celebration

National Telecommunications and Information Administration

Thursday, December 5, 2024 - 3:00pm to 4:30pm
Time Zone: 
EST
Virtual Event

In November of 1994, Census Bureau interviewers knocked on thousands of doors and called thousands more households to administer the very first edition of what we now call the NTIA Internet Use Survey. This collaborative effort between NTIA and the Census Bureau has produced the longest-running and most comprehensive national survey of computer and Internet use in the United States. In the 30 years that have elapsed since that first data collection, NTIA and the Census Bureau have fielded 17 editions of the NTIA Internet Use Survey across every Administration as the Internet has grown and evolved.

This effort has contributed substantially to the state of knowledge in this field, and the resulting data continue to be used today by policymakers, researchers, civil society, and industry. Moreover, NTIA's work with the Census Bureau has only accelerated with the rising demand for evidence-based policymaking; in addition to already working on the upcoming 2025 NTIA Internet Use Survey, the past few years have seen the introduction of the Digital Equity Act Population Viewer and the ACCESS BROADBAND Dashboard, as well as the launch of Project LEIA.

The event will be live streamed at: https://www.youtube.com/live/nv9Me_KMoHQ. In addition to speakers offering reflections on the past 30 years of measuring computer and Internet use, there will be discussion panels both the history and the future of this important endeavor.

Agenda

1. Introduction

2. Remarks by NTIA A/S Davidson

3. Remarks by Census Bureau Director Santos

4. Reflections on “Falling Through the Net” by Former NTIA A/S Larry Irving

5. Discussion Panel: NTIA Internet Use Survey Through the Years

6. Discussion Panel: The Future of Measuring Computer and Internet Use

7. Closing Remarks

Department of Commerce and NTIA Participants

Non-NTIA Participants

Census Bureau: Director Robert Santos (via pre-recorded video), Tim Marshall, Kyra Linse, Bethany DeSalvo

Non-Government: Former NTIA Assistant Secretary Larry Irving; Former NTIA Director Maureen Lewis; Joe Kane, Information Technology & Innovation Foundation