The Broadband Stimulus: A Rural Boondoggle and Missed Opportunity

Gregory L. Rosston, Scott Wallsten · 2014 · The Knowledge Bank (The Ohio State University)

Summary. The $7 billion broadband stimulus in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act failed to deliver value in rural areas. The authors argue that rural broadband subsidies lack economic justification and function as inefficient income transfers that don't increase subscriptions. NTIA's project selection process was incoherent, with cost-effectiveness varying by over 100 times. Better frameworks could have connected far more households with the same funding.

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Rosston, G. L., & Wallsten, S.. (2014). The Broadband Stimulus: A Rural Boondoggle and Missed Opportunity. The Knowledge Bank (The Ohio State University). http://hdl.handle.net/1811/73343

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  title   = {The Broadband Stimulus: A Rural Boondoggle and Missed Opportunity},
  author  = {Gregory L. Rosston and Scott Wallsten},
  journal = {The Knowledge Bank (The Ohio State University)},
  year    = {2014},
  url     = {http://hdl.handle.net/1811/73343}
}

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TI  - The Broadband Stimulus: A Rural Boondoggle and Missed Opportunity
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Details

Countries: United States
Regions: North America
Categories: broadband-and-digital, policy, funding, general-innovation
Added: 2026-08-01