The Changing Context for Broadband Evaluation

Broadband Internet access is now widely recognized as basic infrastructure, like roads, water, and electricity. Identifying and reaching consensus on what constitutes an appropriate level of broadband service requires ongoing research to evaluate the social and economic impacts of broadband and broadband policies. As broadband has evolved, so too must the research focus. While availability and adoption of ever more advanced broadband will remain a concern, more of the focus should be on understanding how broadband is used and its effects on things like improved healthcare outcomes, educational performance, green/energy efficiency, and improving the quality of life for all society. We need more sector-specific and micro-studies of usage, and we need to tap into the different perspectives of the multiple academic disciplines. This will require multidisciplinary engagement among social scientists, network researchers, and policymakers. The research will require novel and more dynamic and heterogeneous data sets, metrics, and analytics tools.