Can government-funded fiber networks close digital divides?

May 21, 2018

A political policy shibboleth frequently trundled out to accompany proposals for government-funded infrastructures is that government-funded fiber networks will close digital divides between population groups: rich and poor, rural and urban, advantaged and disadvantaged ethnic groups, and many others.

Bronwyn Howell reports in AEI on the recent research by Eyal Apatov, Nathan Chappell and Arthur Grimes into how ultra fast broadband was rolled out in New Zealand and the impact of that rollout.