Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Missouri asks a silly question: Do you want broadband?

The state of Missouri is asking its residents a silly question in May. Surveys are being sent to approximately 44,000 people in the state's most rural communities to determine two things that they see crucial to their broadband expansion plans:
1) How much do you use the internet?
2) Would you use high-speed (broadband)?

Now, those are two silly questions for a lot of reasons. First, from a survey and data analysis standpoint, it's erroneous to ask an audience how much they currently use a given product when part of the reason for the survey in the first place is the lack of availability of that product. It's like asking starving people how much they eat, then determining their rations based on that number. It's not how much is presently consumed that matters, its the demand -- however un-met -- that truly matters.

Second, gauging the interest in high-speed broadband connection is perhaps less silly, but certainly needs to be framed correctly in order to be useful. Again, asking the starving person if they'd like a meal is folly. Of course, the answers will be unanimously yes. Instead, a survey of this nature should try to place a value on that un-met need. Rather than asking openly, "do you want it?" What if we asked, "How much would you be willing to pay for it?"

That last question gets to the heart of the issue. See, Missouri already (yes, prior to finding the survey results in the first place) has set a plan in place to make broadband available to 95% if the state's residents by 2014. Much of that will be delivered via grants, favorable loans, federal stimulus and tax abatements all designed to incentivize private enterprise to enter a market they have otherwise avoided for reasons of profitability. What if the survey could help to substantiate some level of consumer demand in these unreached rural broadband areas? The long term solution to rural broadband will not be 100% subsidy, but the cost-effective means of delivering a service that is in demand at a price that the market will bear.

Labels: Internet, Rural Broadband, Rural Broadband Access