The digital divide is worse than we thought

The lion’s share of discussion around the digital divide has centered around access, but the prices rural consumers are paying for the services available to them are worth paying attention to as well. According to our research, roughly 146 million rural Americans do not have access to a low-priced plan for wired broadband internet. That’s nearly 45 percent of the US population. We define “low-priced” as a broadband plan with a monthly cost less than or equal to the 20th percentile of all plan prices, or around $60 per month. Rural homes are paying more for slower speeds, and it serves to illustrate that the issues surrounding the digital divide are worse than we perceive them to be. 

So, what can be done to improve the current state of rural broadband internet access? One immediate step toward achieving this goal involves improving the process by which coverage reporting happens. Communities, for their part, can invest in programs that foster competition, such as municipal broadband operations and “dig once” policies. Finally, new subsidies are necessary in order to help bring vital infrastructure improvements to underserved (and unserved) areas. 

[Tyler Cooper is a Consumer Policy Expert at BroadbandNow]