Willingness to pay for broadband: A case study of Wisconsin
As broadband expansion efforts in the U.S. continue with historic investments, consumer demand for residential broadband services is of first-order importance. Several past broadband willingness to pay studies estimate the value of broadband to be low, compared to the current national average cost of internet subscriptions being around $65 per month. Additional estimates of household's willingness to pay for broadband are needed to provide more insight into how much households value these services and what type of support would be most efficient in increasing broadband adoption to close the digital divide. These estimates are helpful for policymakers, internet service providers, and community leaders working on broadband subsidy programs, trying to bring ISPs to communities, and setting service prices. Using choice experiment data from a 2022 broadband survey in Wisconsin, I find households are willing to pay $45-$334 per month to go from not having internet at home to having speeds between 25 Mbps and 1,000 Mbps and are willing to pay $10-$38 for greater reliability, depending on household income level. While consumers are willing to pay more for speed than reliability, the value consumers place on speed is diminishing. Connection is valuable to people, but getting connected at a much faster speed is not seen as worth a lot more. These estimates suggest households place a high value on home internet and are willing to pay at least, if not more, than prices already available on the market in many places.
Telework and COVID-19 Resiliency in the Southeastern United States
One potential driver of economic resiliency during the COVID-19 pandemic was the ability to telework. This paper estimates the factors influencing changes in unemployment rates for states in the Southeastern U.S. during two distinct periods: (1) the initial months of the pandemic, and (2) the recovery experienced from April through December 2020. Our results suggest industrial composition and demographic factors were strongly associated with the early rise in unemployment and the subsequent decline during the first nine months of the pandemic. The ability to telework was a crucial factor in changing unemployment levels, with local broadband adoption levels driving this relationship. Telework had a positive impact for counties with a high broadband adoption rate from February to April. However, counties with a high ability to telework, but low broadband adoption rates, were held back from recovering from April to December.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is a federally funded and state administered program to combat food insecurity. Analyzing factors in SNAP participation is important to understanding consumption in food systems and supporting community development. As of 2019, 565,900 Oklahomans participate in the SNAP program, approximately 84% of those eligible for the program. This leads to two questions: why do those who are eligible participate, and how can we better reach those who do not? We analyzed county-level SNAP participation among the income-eligible to identify explanatory characteristics of SNAP usage. Data from sources such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service (USDA ERS) and the U.S. Census Bureau were used to perform a regression analysis on 12 variables, such as store access and number of dependents. The percentage of households with children under 18 and the unemployment rate are associated with increases in SNAP participation among those eligible. Store access and rurality are associated with a decline in SNAP usage. These findings will aid policymakers, SNAP administrators, and outreach education groups in improving program participation by targeting groups susceptible to food insecurity and with low SNAP usage who could benefit from participation.
Determinants of financial literacy: Does urban-rural residency matter? (Under review)
Factors influencing the gap in American male and female life expectancy.
The spatial diffusion of rural livability across the urban-rural interface.
Unpacking county-level quality of life: Rankings and determinants.
Mapping migration: The impact of amenities on household relocation.
Living and working apart: The role of amenities in location decisions.