Broadband technology opportunities program public computer center grants and residential broadband adoption

The Broadband Technology Opportunities Program's Public Computer Center (BTOP PCC) grants were awarded to public libraries to increase broadband access for the public. Libraries funded by the BTOP PCC grants improved computers and broadband facilities and offered training programs to help library patrons acquire computer and Internet skills. This study uses data on the BTOP PCC grants and public library surveys to examine the question of whether residential broadband adoption rates increase in counties whose libraries have received the grants and aggressively increased the number of Internet-connected computers available for public use between June 2009 and December 2014. However, there were no significant increases in the adoption rates in those counties. This result suggests that spillover effects outside libraries funded by the grants are not present.