"Measuring the Gap," by John B. Horrigan, PhD

Image source from MOTHERBOARD, Tech byVICE article coverage of the report (linked below). Article by Karl Bode.

““There are racist and classist implications to arguing that those who don’t have broadband just ‘don’t get it.’ Low-income families and people of color are disproportionately less likely to have home broadband, and this country has a long history of blaming systemic racial and economic inequities on the marginalized folks who suffer under them.””

— Dana Floberg, policy manager at consumer group Free Press. Quote sourced from "Many Americans Can't Afford Broadband, But the FCC Doesn't Care," by Karl Bode. Motherboard, Tech by Vice.

“Measuring the Gap: What’s the right approach to exploring why some Americans do not subscribe to broadband?” by John B. Horrigan, PhD, explores the reasons behind non-broadband adoption in the U.S., and researches the practices of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) - which currently states that “for the most part, people without broadband do not find it relevant in their lives.”

Published in February 2020, this brief attempts to shed light on the questionable choices the agency makes in carrying out its surveys. Highlighting their key findings and implications, Dr. Horrigan analyze’s how different approaches to collecting data on the reasons for non-broadband adoption, can have significant consequences for policy decisions.

As federal policymakers consider the bipartisan Digital Equity Act - which proposes funding digital inclusion programs at $250 million per year over five years - it is important to understand the root of the problem with broadband access.

This paper was published by the National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA) with support from the Media Democracy Fund, and the Robert W. Deutsch Foundation.