Second study links broadband access to lower Covid death rates

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A new study from Tufts University’s Digital Planet initiative found a correlation between broadband and Covid-19 death rates, highlighting a particular link between greater access and better outcomes in urban areas. The report comes after researchers at the University of Chicago released a paper earlier in 2022 that came to a similar conclusion. The study from Tufts included data from the US Census Bureau, the Department of Labor, Department of Commerce, Broadband Now and a Covid-19 map put out by USAFacts, among other sources. Researchers found that even after controlling for a range of factors including age, gender, healthcare access, poverty and racism, a 1 percent increase in broadband access reduced Covid death rates by approximately 19 people per 100,000 in the U.S. Put another way, a 1 percent increase in broadband access led to a 0.1 percent decline in Covid mortality overall. The impact of broadband was especially pronounced in metro areas, with access associated with a decrease in mortality of 36 people per 100,000. Or, to offer a comparison with the percentage figure above, a 1 percent increase in broadband access led to a 0.24 percent decline in Covid death rates.


Second study links broadband access to lower Covid death rates