Beyond Broadband Access: Developing Data-Based Information Policy Strategies

CHAPTER 1 Beyond Broadband Access

9 CHAPTER 1 Beyond Broadband Access What Do We Need to Measure and How Do We Measure It? catherine middleton Around the world, claims that broadband infrastructure is central to the development of the knowledge economy are becoming indisputable. Many governments are taking steps to ensure their regulatory environments encourage private sector investment in broadband,1 consistent with Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) recommendations to rely on competition to the maximum extent possible as a means of building broadband infrastructure.2 In instances where the private sector cannot establish a business case for broadband deployment, governments are committing public funds to extend the reach of broadband networks, justified by the widely held belief that broadband access is essential infrastructure for an information society. Investment in broadband infrastructure is premised on the dual assumptions that broadband networks enable the information society and the knowledge economy, and, by providing citizens with access to broadband, citizens will participate in, and reap the benefits of a knowledge-based economy and society.3 However, Preston, and Cawley observe that broadband development is often driven by “supply-side, technology-focused policies” that do not explicitly consider the needs of users.4 Deployment of broadband infrastructure is expected to encourage the creation and uptake of “socially useful” applications, but this is not guaranteed. Indeed, at present there is a gap between the discourses linking broadband deployment with the development of a knowledge-based society and the ability to deliver the desired outcomes. This chapter explores this gap. catherine middleton 10 A central motivation for investing in broadband is that providing citizens with access to broadband connectivity will allow them to engage in the information society. But there are three problematic parts of this statement: 1) access to broadband does not ensure that broadband is used, or that it is useful for the user; 2) all broadband networks are not the same, meaning that the potential benefits of broadband access may not be equal for all broadband users; and 3) there is uncertainty as to exactly how to recognize the broadband-enabled benefits of engagement in the information society. Although there is a great deal of research activity regarding broadband and the information society, this chapter argues that there is a need for better research questions, improved analytical approaches and more sophisticated and wider-ranging data collection in order to fully assess the extent to which broadband networks actually do enable citizens to become participants in the information society. The chapter begins with a consideration of the nature of broadband networks, followed by a discussion of how broadband can enable engagement in the information society. The availability and analysis of data on broadband use is then explored, and suggestions for improved data analysis approaches are offered. The chapter concludes with a brief discussion of the challenges of developing more advanced measures. all broadband connections are not the same Many claims are made about the benefits of broadband. As more evidence is compiled demonstrating the positive returns on investment in broadband, it is important to consider exactly what is encompassed in this term so as to better understand the type of investment (and resultant infrastructure) that enables positive outcomes. What is available to citizens? National and pan-national (e.g., European Union) statistical agencies do not apply a common definition of broadband, nor do they collect data in a consistent format. Some differences in approach are explained below, highlighting the need to understand speeds and network characteristics. Statistics Canada’s Canadian Internet Use Survey (CIUS) collects data on the type of household Internet connection. Those reporting cable or satellite connections are recorded as having high-speed access. Respondents with telephone connections are asked if their connection is a high-speed connection. No definition of high speed is offered, but it is assumed that respondents in this category would describe their Internet as high speed if they were not using a dial-up connection. In total, the 2009 CIUS data indicate that 92 percent of Canadians with Internet access at home (70 percent of the total population) have a high-speed connection.5 beyo n d broad ban d acce s s 11 The term broadband is not applied to these data by Statistics Canada, but data reported by the CRTC (the Canadian telecommunications regulator ) differentiates between “high-speed” and “broadband” networks, using broadband to describe connections with download...