20130604-美国商务部-Broadband_Availability_Beyond_the_Rural_Urban_Divide_14页_303kb

Broadband Availability Report Summary

Key Findings:

• Rural-Urban Divide Complexity: A simple rural-urban comparison masks significant variation within communities. Using five categories (Central Cities, Suburbs, Small Towns, Exurbs, Very Rural) based on population density and proximity to Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) reveals a more detailed broadband availability landscape.

• Basic Broadband Availability: While 71% of rural and 98% of urban residents had basic wireline broadband (≥3 Mbps down/768 kbps up) in 2011, Exurbs had higher rates than Very Rural areas for basic services as well.

• High-Speed Broadband: There are substantial gaps in high-speed broadband (e.g., ≥50 Mbps download) availability between Very Rural and Exurb/Urban areas. Very Rural areas lag significantly at all speed tiers.

• Wireless Broadband: Basic wireless availability gaps are smaller than wireline, but they widen with speed. Very Rural areas trail all others in high-speed wireless availability.

• Impact of Population Density & Proximity to MSA: Higher population density and location within an MSA are generally associated with better broadband availability. Proximity to a Central City may play a more significant role than density alone.

• Subgroup Differences: Even within urban categories, availability varies—Suburbs and Small Towns show differences in higher-speed availability five-way classification uncovers a more refined picture of the divide in broadband availability across the nation.

• Principal Conclusion: A five-way rural/urban classification provides a clearer understanding of broadband availability than the simple rural-urban divide, highlighting the role of population density and proximity to MSAs.