Network:On celebrates the resilience of the Internet and how it keeps us connected. Over the past year, Network:On has worked with Dr. Raul Katz of Columbia University and Telecom Advisory Services to examine the economics of how America’s Excellent Internet impacts us all.
The verdict?
Broadband is critical to our economic growth – and for the U.S. to realize the maximum potential of America’s Excellent Internet, we need to get the remaining 20% of Americans who are not yet connected online.
As Network:On celebrates our first anniversary, we sat down with Dr. Katz to talk about the benefits of America’s Excellent Internet and what’s next. Here’s what he had to say:
What have been the economic benefits U.S. consumers have seen thanks to investments in broadband?
“If you isolate the effect of broadband in regards to economic growth, you can see that roughly 10% of that can be attributed to digital adoption and the improvements we’ve seen on broadband speed. If broadband had remained at the levels of adoption and quality of service that existed in 2010, the economic growth would have been roughly $1.3 trillion less.”
Broadband infrastructure helped us weather the storm of the COVID pandemic. Without the Internet, what would have happened?
“The primary impact of broadband in the context of pandemics or major social disruptions such as COVID is that it enhances the economic and social resilience of nations. If we didn’t have broadband, the disruption would have been much larger.”
Watch the full interview with Dr. Katz:
Read Dr. Katz’s work:
The Contribution of Fixed Broadband to the Economic Growth of the U.S. between 2010 and 2020
Raul Katz: Can Investments in Robust Broadband Help States Limit the Downside of Recession? (Broadband Breakfast)
Better Broadband, Better Work: How America’s Excellent Internet Enables a Connected Workplace
