Digital Inequalities

Work in this area is dedicated to topics related to broadband access, quality, digital skills and barriers to use, across rural and urban communities, to inform decisions aimed at narrowing digital divides.

Crowdsourcing of Improved Broadband Data

This collaborative project with Merit Network, Ann Arbor, involves the development tools to collect more granular information on the availability and uses of broadband. Specifically, data sources, such as FCC Form 477, can be analyzed in conjunction with new consumer- sourced data to improve the accuracy of broadband availability data and enable us to identify areas where access or speed appears to be under- or over-estimated. Considering that any source of data will have strengths and weaknesses, strategically using multiple sources of data can advance the quality of data to inform decision making. Making these combined data sets open and publicly available will enhance their utility and reliability.

Project Lead: Laleah Fernandez, Keith Hampton, Johannes M. Bauer

Publications and working papers: 

  • Quello Center and Merit Network (2018, July). ‘Citizen Enabled Advances in Broadband Availability Data.’ Submitted July, 16, 2018 to U.S. Department of Commerce National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), Docket No. 180427421– 8421–01 RIN 0660–XC042.

Funding: This project has been approved by the Michigan State University IRB. We are currently seeking funding through sources such as the National Science Foundation (NSF) and Microsoft.

Homework Gap: Pilot Study of Three Michigan School Districts

One out of three students do not have Internet at home and are caught in a“Homework Gap.” Without broadband at home, these students are at a higher risk of falling behind, aggravating inequality and reducing opportunities in life. Students who do not have Internet at home may have less success at school, have lower grades, enjoy school less, experience lower self-esteem, have less interest in STEM-related careers, and have less interest and opportunity to attend post-secondary education. The data for this project consists of three databases linked by a unique de-identified participant ID. (1) A paper survey completed by all students age 13 and older in our partner Michigan school districts. Approx. 7,000 students in mostly rural school districts. (2) Student records (i.e., M-STEP scores) that are de-identified and (3) Results of an Internet speed test that students complete on a website using any device they use to complete homework.

Project Lead: Johannes Bauer, Keith Hampton, Laleah Fernandez

Funding: This project has been approved by the Michigan State University IRB. We are currently seeking funding through sources such as the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Benton Foundation. We have initial buy-in from the Michigan Department of Education and will seek additional funding from state agencies if we believe such a partnership will not interfere with the integrity of this research.

Digital Inequalities: Broadband to the Neighborhood in Detroit

This Quello Center project investigated the degree that neighborhoods in Detroit are disconnected from the Internet and what could be done to increase digital equity. Working in collaboration with the Wayne State University Center for Urban Studies, we conducted 525 telephone surveys with residents across three Detroit neighborhoods and conducted three focus groups. The team completed data collection in December of 2017.

Project Lead: Bill Dutton, Laleah Fernandez, Bibi Reisdorf

Funding: Support for this research was provided by Rocket Fiber, a Detroit-based Internet company

Publications and working papers:

  • Fernandez, L., Reisdorf, B. C., & Dutton, W. H. (2019). Urban Internet myths and Realities: A Detroit case study. Information, Communication & Society, 1–22.https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2019.1622764
  • Fernandez, L., Reisdorf, B., Dutton, W. H., & Hampton, K. (2018). Urban Myths of the Digital Divide: An Exploration of Connectivity, Breadth Of Use, and Interest Across Detroit Neighborhoods (SSRN Scholarly Paper No. ID 3141322)https://papers.ssrn.com/abstract=3141322
  • Reisdorf, B., Fernandez, L., Hampton, K. N., Shin, I., & Dutton, W. H. (2019). Mobile Phones will not Eliminate Digital and Social Divides. Social Science Computer Review (SSCORE).
  • Reisdorf, B., Hampton, K., Fernandez, L., & Dutton, W. H. (2018). Broadband to the Neighborhood: Digital Divides in Detroit. SSRN Electronic Journal. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3103457

Presentations:

  • Fernandez, L., Reisdorf, B. C., Dutton, W. H., & Hampton, K. N. (2018, September). Urban Myths of the Digital Divide: An Exploration of Connectivity, Breadth Of Use, and Interest Across Detroit Neighborhoods. Presented at the 46th Research Conference on Communications, Information, and Internet Policy (TPRC), American University Washington College of Law, Washington D.C.
  • Fernandez, L. (2018, May). Broadband to Detroit Neighborhoods. Presented at the 2018 Merit Member Conference, Dearborn, MI.

Connecting Local Communities and Institutions: Wireless Solutions for the Last Mile

A key question facing many broadband Internet service providers as well as policymakers at the national, state and local levels is: How can wireless technologies be used to best leverage fiber backbone networks and cost-effectively extend high-speed connectivity deeper into the nation’s still-underserved communities, such as in deep rural and distressed (sub)urban areas? The Quello Center at Michigan State University undertook a six-month project for Merit and the Quilt group of research and education networks (RENs) to examine wireless solutions for last mile access to broadband Internet services.

Project Lead: Bill Dutton

Publications and working papers: 

  • Reisdorf, B. C., Yankelevich, A., Shapiro, M., & Dutton, W. H. (2019). Wirelessly bridging the homework gap: Technical options and social challenges in getting broadband to disconnected students. Education and Information Technologies. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-019-09953-9<
  • Shapiro, M. (2016). Wireless Innovation for Last Mile Access: An Analysis of Cases and Business Strategies. SSRN Electronic Journal. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2891778

Mapping and Measuring the Information Society: A Social Science Perspective on the Opportunities, Problems and Prospects of Broadband Internet Data on the United States

There are concerns across government, industry, and academia over the inadequacies of data on broadband Internet connections. These inadequacies are important to consider because government policies and regulations, industry strategies, and scholarly research can be impacted by inaccurate or distorted data. Given that there are ongoing discussions about policy initiatives to improve these data, this article sets out to critically review publicly available data, identify important limitations of these data, and profile studies that have used these data successfully. In this review, the dynamic nature of broadband data will be discussed and the tradeoffs of pursuing further investments to create better databases evaluated. This evaluation suggests a more fruitful research path would be to recognize and work around existing data drawbacks, using the studies profiled in this article as examples, to explore a multitude of issues related to broadband availability, adoption, and use.

Project Lead: Bill Dutton

Publications and working papers:

  • Mack, E. A., Dutton, W. H., Rikard, R. V., & Yankelevich, A. (2019). Mapping and measuring the information society: A social science perspective on the opportunities, problems, and prospects of broadband Internet data in the United States. The Information Society, 35(2), 57–68. https://doi.org/10.1080/01972243.2019.1574526