Information, Communication & Society (2024)
Authors: Ashley Cate, Steven Moen, and Kaiping Chen
Abstract: The digital divide, generally characterized by unequal Internet access, represents the gap between individuals who benefit from the use of digital technologies and those who do not. Many social inequalities are associated with the prevalence of the digital divide, particularly across the rural-urban divide. This research seeks to characterize the status of the digital divide, and related sociodemographic variables, within the context of the US state of Wisconsin. In addition, this research investigates the effectiveness of broadband expansion grants, within the state of Wisconsin, on bridging the digital divide. The findings indicate that, at the county level, variations in education, household income, age, and location on a rural-urban continuum are all associated with variations in county broadband adoption rates. Also, despite increasing broadband funding, the amount of money sent to a county is not associated with the need of that county or the change in county level broadband adoption rates from the year 2017–2021. The findings of this study have theoretical implications as they add to our understanding of how broadband adoption is related to social aspects of life. In addition, there are political implications in terms of how grant funding allocation is determined.