Broadband Adoption: If We Build It, Will They Come?

One of the challenges facing the Broadband Task Force is a question inspired by the 1989 classic film "Field of Dreams": if we build it, will they come? Two Federal Communications Commission workshops addressed this topic. The speakers during the panel on low adoption represented demographic groups who tend to have high numbers of non-adopters as well as the businesses and organizations working to bring those groups online. The FCC heard from speakers on the reasons why senior citizens, Native Americans, small business owners, Americans living in rural areas and African Americans tend to be underrepresented relative to the general population. While at first glance these are very different groups, what was striking was the common thread—people will adopt when they feel they have the skills, devices and applications they need to shape and control their broadband experience. And they will do so more readily when they have the "social infrastructure" of family, friends and neighbors that is already broadband-adopting. That infrastructure is critical both because it prompts them to adopt broadband, and because it trains and supports them as they figure out a new technology (and in many cases, figure out how to use a computer for the first time). A second panel picked up on this point by bringing together a group of folks representing the many programs designed to get people the skills, devices and applications they need. Again, a few common themes emerged. Successful programs tend to have high personal interaction in the initial stages (see 'social infrastructure" point above), content packaged in a way that is accessible to the user, and an end goal that sees broadband as a tool to enrich life. One other key takeaway from this group was the notion that an adoption program's success can and should be measured. Developing those metrics for evaluation will be one of the many areas where the FCC will be seeking additional input.