Research

Reports that employ attempts to inform communications policymaking in a systematically and scientific manner.

Leichtman Research Group Ends Distribution of Public Reports

Leichtman Research Group, which has published well-regarded quarterly tallies of U.S.

Ten Things About ACP that Ted Cruz Cares About #3 Net Cost Savings to Government

By connecting more people to the internet via the Affordable Connectivity Program, the savings from reductions in the cost of Medicaid alone could result in a net gain to the government.  And that does not incorporate savings from Medicare, the Veterans Administration, and other government-funded healthcare programs.  Further, there are other savings related to other government programs.  For lower-income individuals, adopting in-home broadband increases their likelihood of employment by 14%, with 62% of those newly connected households citing the connection as having helped them or a 

New NTIA Data Show 13 Million More Internet Users in the U.S. in 2023 than 2021

Results from the latest National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) Internet Use Survey point to significant progress toward achieving Internet for All, as 13 million more people used the Internet in the United States in 2023 compared with just two years earlier. Working to achieve digital equity in the United States has long been at the core of NTIA’s mission. NTIA is committed to enabling widespread use of the Internet for communicating, learning, sharing ideas, and growing the economy. To reach this goal, we need solid, evidence-backed research to inform policies an

Comcast and Charter Are in a Better Position Than Smaller Cable Companies To Resist Fixed Wireless Competition, S&P Global Ratings Says

A report by S&P Global Ratings suggests that the revenue lost for cable operators from customers opting for fixed wireless access (FWA) services is greater than the gains generated from new "junior cable" mobile services. Amid this dynamic “wi

The Economic Benefit of ACP to the Health Care System

What is the economic benefit of the Affordable Connectivity Program to the health care system? In short, there are many ways that telehealth can reduce costs and improve outcomes.

Customers Prefer Fiber Internet When Available, While Satisfaction with Streaming Service Reaches Record High, ACSI Data Show

The fiber rollout may be slow and concentrated in urban areas, but it’s customers’ preferred choice when available. Fiber internet service providers (ISPs) outshine non-fiber ISPs 76 to 68 (out of 100) for customer satisfaction, per the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) Telecommunications Study 2024.

Ten Things About ACP that Ted Cruz Cares About—And Ten Answers that Could Help Reshape How We Think About the Program

On May 2, 2024, New Street Research Policy Advisor and Brookings Nonresident Senior Fellow Blair Levin testified before the Senate Subcommittee on Communications, Media, and Broadband at a hearing entitled The Future of Broadband Affordability.

Who is using the internet at faster speeds?

Recent research found that as the share of White non-Hispanics increases, average download and upload speeds decreases. To delve deeper into this finding and better understand the factors affecting internet speeds, this research conducted spatial error regression models looking at different groups across two points in time (2019 and 2022). Results indicate that rural, older, and poorer groups continue to be associated with slower speeds and that by 2022, these relationships became stronger, widening the divide.

Neighbors Providing Service to Neighbors: Vermont’s Approach to Community Broadband

In 2019, the Vermont Department of Public Service found that nearly a quarter of Vermont addresses lacked service that met the then federal benchmarks for broadband speeds (25/3 megabits per second, or Mbps). The COVID-19 pandemic only underscored the urgent need in a state that has consistently ranked near the bottom of connectivity comparisons over the past decade. Vermonters saw a lack of interest from private providers to invest in the sparsely populated rural state and recognized that communities needed to address the problem themselves.

How the Office of Minority Broadband Initiatives Connected Communities in 2023

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration's (NTIA) Office of Minority Broadband Initiatives (OMBI) has released its Annual Report for 2023.