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**AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** HIGH-SPEED BROADBAND INTERNET CONNECTIONS ARE AN ESSENTIAL, BUT INVISIBLE COMPONENT TO DAILY LIFE. BROADBAND HOLDS PROMISE FOR BUSINESS-TO-BUSINESS EXCHANGES, IMPROVING ACCESS TO CONSUMER GOODS, NICHE AGRICULTURAL PRODUCERS, AND MAINTAINING OVERALL QUALITY OF LIFE. RESEARCH TO THIS POINT HIGHLIGHTS THAT THE BENEFITS OF BROADBAND DEPLOYMENT IN RURAL COMMUNITIES ARE NOT YET REALIZED DUE TO LAGGING ACCESS AND ADOPTION OF THE MOST IMPORTANT INFRASTRUCTURE OF OUR TIME. GIVEN WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT THE BENEFITS OF BROADBAND, DIGITAL EXCLUSION IN THE FORM OF LAGGING ACCESS AND ADOPTION RATES LIKELY HAVE SIGNIFICANT NEGATIVE ECONOMIC IMPLICATIONS FOR BUSINESSES LOCATED IN RURAL AND TRIBAL LANDS. HOWEVER, WE HAVE LITTLE INFORMATION ABOUT HOW DIGITAL INCLUSION, OR LACK THEREOF, FOR RURAL AND TRIBAL COMMUNITIES IMPACTS ADOPTION AND USE BY BUSINESSES. TO WORK TOWARDS CLOSING THIS GAP, OUR INTERDISCIPLINARY, MIXED-METHODS PROJECT PROPOSES FOUR OBJECTIVES RELEVANT TO USDA PROGRAM AREA PRIORITIES TO EXPAND BROADBAND INFRASTRUCTURE DEPLOYMENT AND ADOPTION IN RURAL AREAS, AND DESIGN MECHANISMS FOR FACILITATING DIGITAL INCLUSION FOR RURAL AND TRIBAL COMMUNITIES. AS PART OF WORK TOWARDS THESE OBJECTIVES, A MULTI-FACETED DATABASE WILL BE ASSEMBLED THAT CONTAINS INFORMATION ABOUT BROADBAND DEPLOYMENT, THE LOCATION OF BUSINESSES, SURVEYS OF BUSINESSES AND FOCUS GROUP DATA FROM BUSINESSES. THESE DATA WILL BE USED TO CONDUCT BROADBAND MAPPING THAT COMPARES AND CONTRASTS BROADBAND DEPLOYMENT IN RURAL AND TRIBAL AREAS WITH OTHER PARTS OF THE UNITED STATES. BROADBAND DEPLOYMENT DATA WILL BE INTEGRATED WITH SECONDARY DATA ABOUT BUSINESS LOCATION TO ASSESS THE LINKAGES BETWEEN BROADBAND DEPLOYMENT ON BUSINESS ACTIVITY AND DIVERSITY. SURVEYS AND FOCUS GROUPS WILL BE CONDUCTED TO DETERMINE THE CONSEQUENCES OF INSUFFICIENT BROADBAND DEPLOYMENT FOR RURAL AND TRIBAL BUSINESSES. THESE DATA WILL ALSO HELP IDENTIFY OBSTACLES TO USING BROADBAND FOR BUSINESS VISIBILITY AND CORE OPERATIONS, AS WELL AS POLICYOBSTACLES TO BROADBAND PROVISION IN RURAL AREAS. THE VALIDATED GEOREFERENCED DATABASE ABOUT BROADBAND INFRASTRUCTURE DEPLOYMENT PRODUCED AS PART OF RESEARCH ACTIVITIES WILL FACILITATE FUTURE BROADBAND PLANNING INITIATIVES IN RURAL AND TRIBAL AREAS. RESEARCH PRODUCTS WILL ALSO PROVIDE INFORMATION THAT CAN BE USED TO DESIGN STRATEGIES TO INCREASE DIGITAL INCLUSION BY INCREASING ACCESS AND INCREASING BROADBAND ADOPTION AND USE BY BUSINESSES IN RURAL AND TRIBAL COMMUNITIES. RESEARCH WILL BE ENHANCED BY FEEDBACK FROM A STAKEHOLDER ADVISORY BOARD, AND RESULTS DISSEMINATED THROUGH VARIOUS OUTLETS INCLUDING PEER-REVIEWED JOURNAL ARTICLES, POLICY BRIEFS, WEBINARS AND CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS.

$497,820FY2020National Institute of Food and AgricultureUSDA

Michigan State University, East Lansing MI

Investigators

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**AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** HIGH-SPEED BROADBAND INTERNET CONNECTIONS ARE AN ESSENTIAL, BUT INVISIBLE COMPONENT TO DAILY LIFE. BROADBAND HOLDS PROMISE FOR BUSINESS-TO-BUSINESS EXCHANGES, IMPROVING ACCESS TO CONSUMER GOODS, NICHE AGRICULTURAL PRODUCERS, AND MAINTAINING OVERALL QUALITY OF LIFE. RESEARCH TO THIS POINT HIGHLIGHTS THAT THE BENEFITS OF BROADBAND DEPLOYMENT IN RURAL COMMUNITIES ARE NOT YET REALIZED DUE TO LAGGING ACCESS AND ADOPTION OF THE MOST IMPORTANT INFRASTRUCTURE OF OUR TIME. GIVEN WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT THE BENEFITS OF BROADBAND, DIGITAL EXCLUSION IN THE FORM OF LAGGING ACCESS AND ADOPTION RATES LIKELY HAVE SIGNIFICANT NEGATIVE ECONOMIC IMPLICATIONS FOR BUSINESSES LOCATED IN RURAL AND TRIBAL LANDS. HOWEVER, WE HAVE LITTLE INFORMATION ABOUT HOW DIGITAL INCLUSION, OR LACK THEREOF, FOR RURAL AND TRIBAL COMMUNITIES IMPACTS ADOPTION AND USE BY BUSINESSES. TO WORK TOWARDS CLOSING THIS GAP, OUR INTERDISCIPLINARY, MIXED-METHODS PROJECT PROPOSES FOUR OBJECTIVES RELEVANT TO USDA PROGRAM AREA PRIORITIES TO EXPAND BROADBAND INFRASTRUCTURE DEPLOYMENT AND ADOPTION IN RURAL AREAS, AND DESIGN MECHANISMS FOR FACILITATING DIGITAL INCLUSION FOR RURAL AND TRIBAL COMMUNITIES. AS PART OF WORK TOWARDS THESE OBJECTIVES, A MULTI-FACETED DATABASE WILL BE ASSEMBLED THAT CONTAINS INFORMATION ABOUT BROADBAND DEPLOYMENT, THE LOCATION OF BUSINESSES, SURVEYS OF BUSINESSES AND FOCUS GROUP DATA FROM BUSINESSES. THESE DATA WILL BE USED TO CONDUCT BROADBAND MAPPING THAT COMPARES AND CONTRASTS BROADBAND DEPLOYMENT IN RURAL AND TRIBAL AREAS WITH OTHER PARTS OF THE UNITED STATES. BROADBAND DEPLOYMENT DATA WILL BE INTEGRATED WITH SECONDARY DATA ABOUT BUSINESS LOCATION TO ASSESS THE LINKAGES BETWEEN BROADBAND DEPLOYMENT ON BUSINESS ACTIVITY AND DIVERSITY. SURVEYS AND FOCUS GROUPS WILL BE CONDUCTED TO DETERMINE THE CONSEQUENCES OF INSUFFICIENT BROADBAND DEPLOYMENT FOR RURAL AND TRIBAL BUSINESSES. THESE DATA WILL ALSO HELP IDENTIFY OBSTACLES TO USING BROADBAND FOR BUSINESS VISIBILITY AND CORE OPERATIONS, AS WELL AS POLICYOBSTACLES TO BROADBAND PROVISION IN RURAL AREAS. THE VALIDATED GEOREFERENCED DATABASE ABOUT BROADBAND INFRASTRUCTURE DEPLOYMENT PRODUCED AS PART OF RESEARCH ACTIVITIES WILL FACILITATE FUTURE BROADBAND PLANNING INITIATIVES IN RURAL AND TRIBAL AREAS. RESEARCH PRODUCTS WILL ALSO PROVIDE INFORMATION THAT CAN BE USED TO DESIGN STRATEGIES TO INCREASE DIGITAL INCLUSION BY INCREASING ACCESS AND INCREASING BROADBAND ADOPTION AND USE BY BUSINESSES IN RURAL AND TRIBAL COMMUNITIES. RESEARCH WILL BE ENHANCED BY FEEDBACK FROM A STAKEHOLDER ADVISORY BOARD, AND RESULTS DISSEMINATED THROUGH VARIOUS OUTLETS INCLUDING PEER-REVIEWED JOURNAL ARTICLES, POLICY BRIEFS, WEBINARS AND CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS. · GrantIndex