NDIA is constantly being asked for references to scholarly and professional research about the social impacts of broadband and digital inclusion. Has anybody studied the impact of broadband availability, speed or adoption on local economic growth? On K-12 education? On health care? On civic or social engagement? How important is digital literacy for local business and jobs, or for maintaining older citizens’ connection to friends and community?
We’ve always done our best to stay informed about published research on these issues, and share that information when we’re asked. But now we have a better way.
In partnership with the Brookings Institution’s Metropolitan Policy Program, NDIA has created a searchable collection of reports, studies and journal articles that address the impact of broadband and digital inclusion on community and individual well-being. It’s called the Broadband Research Base, and it’s live today.
The Broadband Research Base currently includes more than seventy references. You can search for an entry by title, by keyword, by broad category (e.g. “Economy”) or more specific subcategory (e.g. “Migration”), by geographic focus, or by one of several “digital inclusion tags” (broadband availability, broadband adoption, broadband speed, broadband affordability, digital literacy). Every reference includes a link to the publication itself.
Some of the publications are academic articles that are only available for a fee. The Broadband Research Base is a work in progress. We will continue to make edits. Submissions to the Research Base can be made through the online form. NDIA has created an excel template for the submission of multiple research articles at once. Requests for the excel template, general questions, and suggestions for edits should be sent to [email protected].
Check out the Broadband Research Base here.