Broadband Telecommunications and Regional Development

Book excerpt: Broadband is one of the most transformative technologies of the 21st century, yet our understanding of its regional impacts remains somewhat rudimentary. Not only are issues of broadband pricing and speed relevant in this context, but the overall quality of service for broadband can often dictate its impacts on regional development. This book illuminates the regional impacts of this pervasive and important technology. The principle aim of this book is to deepen our understanding of broadband and its connections to regional development. First, it uses a geospatial lens to explore how the relationship between broadband and regional development influences access to technology platforms, dictates provision patterns, and facilitates the shrinkage of space and time in non-uniform and sometimes unexpected ways. Second, it book provides a comprehensive guide that details the strengths and weaknesses of publically available broadband data and their associated uncertainties, allowing regional development professionals and researchers to make more informed decisions regarding data use, analytical models and policy recommendations. Finally, this book is the first to detail the growing importance of broadband to digital innovation and entrepreneurship in regions. This book will be of interest to regional development professionals and researchers in economics, public policy, geography, regional science and planning.