Quantifying the Overstatement in Broadband Availability from the Form 477 Data: An Econometric Approach

Phoenix Center Perspectives 19–03, July 2019

9 Pages Posted: 17 Jul 2019

See all articles by George S. Ford

George S. Ford

Phoenix Center for Advanced Legal & Economic Public Policy Studies

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Date Written: July 11, 2019

Abstract

In this Perspective, I attempt to quantify, by a Spatial Logit Model, the magnitude of the overstatement of broadband availability resulting from the FCC's all-in assumption whereby an entire census block is deemed to have broadband available when a single home does so. Given the computational demands, I estimate the overstatement rate using the Form 477 data for six states (California, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Texas, West Virginia, and Wyoming) and then extrapolate to the nation.The overstatement rate is 3.3 percentage points, suggesting that about four million homes are said to have broadband that may not.

Keywords: Broadband, Broadband Speed, 477 Data, Federal Communications Commission, Broadband Availability

JEL Classification: L86

Suggested Citation

Ford, George S., Quantifying the Overstatement in Broadband Availability from the Form 477 Data: An Econometric Approach (July 11, 2019). Phoenix Center Perspectives 19–03, July 2019, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3420469

George S. Ford (Contact Author)

Phoenix Center for Advanced Legal & Economic Public Policy Studies ( email )

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