The Growth of the Broadband Internet Access Market in California: Deployment, Competition, Adoption, and Challenges for Policy (Research Brief)

Abstract

Broadband access to the Internet is important for much of modern life. As the information society continues to pervade all aspects of our lives as consumers, students, citizens, and producers, broadband becomes ever more a necessity. Ever more of daily life is moving online, from keeping up with the news to doing homework for school to applying for jobs. As everything from entertainment to civic engagement migrates to the Internet, demand for broadband Internet access has grown apace. The result: broadband Internet access is one of the most rapidly adopted consumer technologies in history. Aiding speedy consumer adoption has been the robust competition among broadband providers.

This report examines the great progress made in availability and adoption in the broadband market over the past few decades and shows how Californian residents and businesses have come to use broadband widely. The policy issues involved with continuing the tremendous strides already made will be discussed, along with recommendations for policy-makers.

This report is a brief version of a longer study of the California broadband market, Pepperdine University School of Public Policy Working Paper #63.

Keywords: broadband access, adoption, usage, availability, Lifeline, Connect America Fund (CAF), universal service, California Advanced Services Fund (CASF), VoIP

JEL Classification: L96, L98, L11, R30