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Meaningful Broadband Adoption

Our research on “meaningful broadband adoption” (Gangadharan & Byrum, 2012) deeply considers the human-to-human, rather than simply the human-to-computer, interactions in community settings that we know are important to individuals and families struggling with the high cost of broadband in the United States. This work seeks to more deeply understand, for example, the ways in which a “sense of comfort” (i.e., support, trust, safety, and respect) is an important precursor to, rather than necessarily an outcome of, people’s ability to gain access to computers and the internet in meaningful ways that reflect their everyday experiences with technology.


To learn more about meaningful broadband adoption research produced by those affiliated with the DERC (in bold), please visit the following links below.

Publications

Bianca Reisdorf and Colin Rhinesmith (2020). “Digital Inclusion as a Core Component of Social Inclusion.” Social Inclusion8(2), 132-137.

Colin Rhinesmith, Bianca Reisdorf, and Madison Bishop. (2019). “The Ability to Pay for Broadband.” Communication Research and Practice5(2), 121-138.

Bianca Reisdorf and Colin Rhinesmith. (2018). “An Asset-Based Approach to Digital Inclusion Research in the US Context.” In Massimo Ragnedda and Bruce Mutswairo (Eds.), Digital Inclusion: An International Comparative Analysis. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books.

Brian Whitacre and Colin Rhinesmith. (2016). “Broadband Un-adopters.” Telecommunications Policy, 40(1), 1-13.

Colin Rhinesmith. (2016). “Digital Inclusion and Meaningful Broadband Adoption Initiatives.” Evanston, IL: Benton Foundation.

Colin Rhinesmith. (2012). “Free Library Hot Spots: Supporting Broadband Adoption in Philadelphia’s Low-Income Communities.” International Journal of Communication, 6, 2529-2554.

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