20.1 Broadband Coverage and Use

This indicator is part of Effective internet access.

Indicator description:

This indicator investigates the extent of the “digital divide” in Albuquerque - the users and non-users of the Internet, and those residents with or without broadband access. Broadband includes cable modem, DSL, WiFi, T1 lines, and fiber (to the home). On the user side of the divide are residents who have access to computers, high speed broadband Internet connection, and many online services including governmental, financial, educational, medical, etc. Additionally, broadband access correlates with user developed content (blogging, web pages, other self created content), providing opportunities for those with broadband access to participate in politics, business, education, social networking, etc. On the other side of the divide are residents who can’t afford the technology or who don’t want access. Albuquerque’s home high speed Internet access is compared by community planning area and by income, which is compared to national data and Tucson. Data from other peer communities were not available or not able to be located. 

Why is this indicator relevant?

According to the Benton Foundation, the Pew Charitable Trust, and the Federal Communications Commission, the nation is on the verge of a broadband driven transformation that promises to make life more livable, businesses more productive, and jobs more plentiful. Broadband is changing the way families learn and communicate. It is changing the way we shop. It is providing access to medical and educational services in areas without those benefits. It is increasing the opportunities for many Americans to participate in our society in creative and meaningful ways. It will have an even greater impact as fiber-to-the-home is implemented and speed increases tenfold. This may reverse gains in closing the digital divide, due to potential price increases.

Data Sources:
Pew Charitable Trust, Pew Internet American Life Project, 2008; Research and Polling, Inc., City of Albuquerque, Citizen Perception of Community Conditions Survey, 2001, 2005, 2007; City of Tucson Wireless Feasibility Study, 2007.

What can we tell from the data?

• All locations within the municipal limits of Albuquerque have access to the Internet at broadband speeds and most areas have choices of providers (City of Albuquerque Information Systems Division). Central Albuquerque and the North Valley have the lowest Internet and home broadband usage rates. Residents of the Westside, North Albuquerque, and the Foothills areas have much higher rates of home Internet access. Seniors, Native Americans, and those who did not finish high school have low rates. While Internet access is increasing regardless of income, a gap still exists for very low and low income households.
• The Albuquerque rate of broadband access is significantly lower than Tucson’s, but is roughly equal to the national urban average.

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