1. INSTITUTE FOR PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION • SCHOOL OF PUBLIC POLICY & ADMINISTRATION • COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES WWW.IPA.UDEL.EDU
State of Broadband
in Southern Delaware
Troy Mix
Picking Up Speed:
Delaware Broadband for Economic Development
Elbert N. and Ann V. Carvel Research and Education Center
Georgetown, Delaware
May 20, 2015

2. INSTITUTE FOR PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION • SCHOOL OF PUBLIC POLICY & ADMINISTRATION • COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES WWW.IPA.UDEL.EDU
Defining broadband
• Advanced telecommunications capability
– “high-speed, switched, broadband…that enables
users to originate and receive high-quality voice,
data, graphics, and video telecommunications”
• Key factors
– Technology neutral
– Speed
• From 4 Mbps/1 Mbps to 25 Mbps/3 Mbps
– Latency
– Consistency, reliability, and redundancy
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3. 3
Quality of life
Jobs
Future opportunity

4. INSTITUTE FOR PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION • SCHOOL OF PUBLIC POLICY & ADMINISTRATION • COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES WWW.IPA.UDEL.EDU
State of Broadband in Southern Delaware
• Extent of infrastructure and service
• Adoption and use rates
• Assessing potential impacts
• Charting a path forward
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5. INSTITUTE FOR PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION • SCHOOL OF PUBLIC POLICY & ADMINISTRATION • COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES WWW.IPA.UDEL.EDU
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EXTENT OF INFRASTRUCTURE
AND SERVICE
State of Broadband in Southern Delaware
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6. INSTITUTE FOR PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION • SCHOOL OF PUBLIC POLICY & ADMINISTRATION • COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES WWW.IPA.UDEL.EDU
% population with access to 3 Mbps
downloads / 768kbps uploads, 2014

7. INSTITUTE FOR PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION • SCHOOL OF PUBLIC POLICY & ADMINISTRATION • COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES WWW.IPA.UDEL.EDU
% population with access to 25 Mbps
download speeds or higher, 2014
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8. INSTITUTE FOR PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION • SCHOOL OF PUBLIC POLICY & ADMINISTRATION • COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES WWW.IPA.UDEL.EDU
How does southern Delaware’s %
population served by 25 Mbps+ compare?
• Kent County (95%)
– #151 of 1,017 counties with similar rural character
– #21 of 280 other “Rural Govt. Districts”
• Sussex County (93%)
– #206 of 1,017 counties with similar rural character
– #30 of 368 “Bedroom Communities to Midsize
Centers”

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1.5 Mbps+
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25 Mbps+
National Broadband Map, http://www.broadbandmap.gov/speed, June 2014.

10. INSTITUTE FOR PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION • SCHOOL OF PUBLIC POLICY & ADMINISTRATION • COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES WWW.IPA.UDEL.EDU
% population with access to 2 or more
wireline providers, 2014
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11. INSTITUTE FOR PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION • SCHOOL OF PUBLIC POLICY & ADMINISTRATION • COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES WWW.IPA.UDEL.EDU
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% population with
access to 25 Mbps
download speeds
% population with 2 or
more wireline providers
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12. INSTITUTE FOR PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION • SCHOOL OF PUBLIC POLICY & ADMINISTRATION • COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES WWW.IPA.UDEL.EDU
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ADOPTION AND USE RATES
State of Broadband in Southern Delaware
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13. INSTITUTE FOR PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION • SCHOOL OF PUBLIC POLICY & ADMINISTRATION • COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES WWW.IPA.UDEL.EDU
% farms accessing Internet, 2012
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14. INSTITUTE FOR PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION • SCHOOL OF PUBLIC POLICY & ADMINISTRATION • COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES WWW.IPA.UDEL.EDU
% farms using Cable or Fiber to access
Internet, 2012
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15. INSTITUTE FOR PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION • SCHOOL OF PUBLIC POLICY & ADMINISTRATION • COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES WWW.IPA.UDEL.EDU
How does farm Internet use
in Sussex County compare?
• Internet Use (70%)
– #562 of 1,016 counties with similar rural character
– #18 of top 50 broiler producing counties
• Cable or Fiber Internet Use (25%)
– #115 of 1,016 counties with similar rural character
– #3 of top 50 broiler producing counties

16. INSTITUTE FOR PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION • SCHOOL OF PUBLIC POLICY & ADMINISTRATION • COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES WWW.IPA.UDEL.EDU
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ASSESSING POTENTIAL IMPACTS
State of Broadband in Southern Delaware
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17. INSTITUTE FOR PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION • SCHOOL OF PUBLIC POLICY & ADMINISTRATION • COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES WWW.IPA.UDEL.EDU
Quality of Life
• Higher rates of broadband adoption can
result in healthier behavior
– Whitacre, B., & Brooks, L. (2014).
• Faster speeds, lower latency allow more
entertainment & communication options
• Telemedicine, telehealth, and telework
– Stenberg, P., Morehart, M., Vogel, S., Cromartie, J., Breneman, V., &
Brown, D. (2009).

18. INSTITUTE FOR PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION • SCHOOL OF PUBLIC POLICY & ADMINISTRATION • COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES WWW.IPA.UDEL.EDU
Jobs
• Earlier availability spurred employment growth
– Stenberg, P., Morehart, M., Vogel, S., Cromartie, J., Breneman, V., & Brown,
D. (2009).
• Broadband adoption associated with increased
incomes and entrepreneurship
– Whitacre, B., Gallardo, R., & Strover, S. (2014).
• Biggest productivity gains w/skilled workforce
– Mack, E., & Faggian, A. (2013).
• Precision ag. will demand more connectivity
– Whitacre, B. E., Mark, T. B., & Griffin, T. W. (2014).

19. INSTITUTE FOR PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION • SCHOOL OF PUBLIC POLICY & ADMINISTRATION • COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES WWW.IPA.UDEL.EDU
Future Opportunities
• Skills training necessary to best exploit
broadband in rural areas
– Win-win
• Value for education
• Telework & Distance learning
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20. INSTITUTE FOR PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION • SCHOOL OF PUBLIC POLICY & ADMINISTRATION • COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES WWW.IPA.UDEL.EDU
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CHARTING A PATH FORWARD
State of Broadband in Southern Delaware
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21. INSTITUTE FOR PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION • SCHOOL OF PUBLIC POLICY & ADMINISTRATION • COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES WWW.IPA.UDEL.EDU
Conclusions
• Infrastructure and service
– Some gaps in western/southern Kent & Sussex
– Options for redundancy seem relatively limited
– Generally, benefits from “metro” location
• Adoption and use
– Residential and agricultural use rate modest
– Cable and fiber adoption higher than average

22. INSTITUTE FOR PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION • SCHOOL OF PUBLIC POLICY & ADMINISTRATION • COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES WWW.IPA.UDEL.EDU
Elements of a potential path forward
• Target infrastructure to fill geographic gaps
with specific use cases in mind
• Technical user networks nurture skill sets &
practices for enhanced productivity
• Digital literacy and skills development
• Specific targets and process for evaluation
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23. INSTITUTE FOR PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION • SCHOOL OF PUBLIC POLICY & ADMINISTRATION • COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES WWW.IPA.UDEL.EDU
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Contact information:
Troy Mix, AICP
Policy Scientist
Institute for Public Administration
University of Delaware
(302) 831-6191
mix@udel.edu

24. INSTITUTE FOR PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION • SCHOOL OF PUBLIC POLICY & ADMINISTRATION • COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES WWW.IPA.UDEL.EDU
References
Mack, E., & Faggian, A. (2013). Productivity and Broadband The Human Factor.
International Regional Science Review, 36(3), 392-423.
Stenberg, P., Morehart, M., Vogel, S., Cromartie, J., Breneman, V., & Brown, D. (2009).
Broadband Internet's value for rural America. Washington, DC: US Department of
Agriculture. Economic Research Service, Economic Research Report(78).
Whitacre, B., & Brooks, L. (2014). Do broadband adoption rates impact a community's
health? Behaviour & Information Technology, 33(7), 767-779.
Whitacre, B., Gallardo, R., & Strover, S. (2014). Does rural broadband impact jobs and
income? Evidence from spatial and first-differenced regressions. The Annals of
Regional Science, 53(3), 649-670.
Whitacre, B. E., Mark, T. B., & Griffin, T. W. (2014). How Connected Are Our Farms?
Choices, 29(3).
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