Research

This research explores the relationship between broadband availability and quality and entrepreneurship in rural regions in three states. It investigates the unique properties of rural locations as they may bear on connectivity's associations with various types of entrepreneurial endeavors.

Average broadband data consumption easily eclipsed a new milestone in 2023, ending the year above 600 GB per month and setting the stage for average monthly usage to reach or exceed 700 GB by the end of 2024, according to the 4Q23 edition of the OpenVault Broadband Insights (OVBI) report. Key findings from the report include:

High-speed internet is something we count on to function day to day. The service elevates the lives and livelihoods of Americans whose broadband needs have been previously unmet. The 2023 Cox Expansion Impact Survey found 86 percent of consumer respondents with recently available high-speed internet said their lives have improved. This report outlines three ways that high-speed internet enriches the lives of rural Americans:

In a far cry from the early 2000s, most US adults today say they use the internet (95%), have a smartphone (90%) or subscribe to high-speed internet at home (80%), according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted May 19 to Sept. 5, 2023. Though adoption of these technologies has surged over the past two decades, there are notable differences by age, household income and educational attainment. There are large gaps between the lowest- and highest-income Americans in whether they have a broadband subscription.

Precision agriculture involves collecting, analyzing, and taking actions based on data.

Social media platforms faced a range of controversies in recent years, including concerns over misinformation and data privacy. Even so, US adults use a wide range of sites and apps, especially YouTube and Facebook. And TikTok – which some Congress members previously called to ban – saw growth in its user base. According to a Pew Research Center survey of 5,733 U.S. adults conducted May 19-Sept. 5, 2023:

At the request of the Federal Communications Commission's Office of Inspector General, Kearney & Company audited the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) between November 2022 and August 2023. The objective was to determine if the FC implemented the ACP in accordance with the requirements of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Overall, Kearney observed the following:

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) is exploring internal use of artificial intelligence (AI) to make its work for Congress and taxpayers more efficient, in-depth, and effective. By developing these tools, GAO is also gaining insight into the benefits and risks of AI, which will help GAO evaluate other agencies' use and better provide technical assistance to Congress. As of January 2024, GAO is exploring the following eight AI use cases:

The Fiber Broadband Association partnered with Cartesian to research the cost of fiber deployment and provide insight on how costs are evolving over time. While no two deployment projects are alike, we found many common themes:

Broadband internet access is central to our society and economy. Tens of billions of dollars are now being allocated for construction of new last mile connections.