Gigabit Productivity Whitepaper
Do consumers really need a Gigabit?
An online search for “How valuable is a Gigabit” or “Do you really need a Gigabit” reveals headlines from well-known sources such as “You (Probably) Don’t Need Gigabit Internet” New York Times, and “Is gigabit Internet worth it? Only if you meet these 3 criteria.” PC World.
These articles start with only one question – Do online applications require a Gigabit to work? The answer to that question is usually no. Developers typically only release apps that work for the masses. So, if this was the only question, the headlines above would be correct.
But applications simply being functional misses a very important additional question! With lower bandwidth how much additional time is wasted waiting for non-streaming apps to load and transfer data?
In this whitepaper, RVA and the Fiber Broadband Association demonstrate that the average user using the lowest definition of FCC “broadband” (100 down, 20 up) wastes an average of about 18 minutes more per day versus a real-world Symmetrical Gigabit user with 700 Mbps down and 500 Mbps up. (Of course, this loss comes in small increments: 2 seconds there, 20 seconds here, 2 minutes there.) For most of us, time is money. Thus, such a loss is significant, equating to 109 days per year!
How was this determined? Data is available on the amount of non-streaming data a user uses per day, how much time per day is spent on non-streaming interaction, and the size of the “pipe” we are trying to pour that data through (The megabits per second capacity). With this information we can unequivocally calculate the transfer time (time wasted waiting) based on different Internet speed levels.
The attached whitepaper also covers other factors that can cause additional delay such as the higher “latency” often associated with lower quality networks.
Maximizing the Impact of U.S. Public Investment in Rural Broadband
In this RVA whitepaper, with a heavy reliance on broadband market research, discusses principles and steps to maximize the impact of potential 2021 U.S. broadband investment. (2021)
Digital Divide Study & Smart City Study
Detailed Study On The U.S. Urban Digital Divide
One of the most important issues of our time is the Digital Divide – which includes the rural digital divide (defined by the lack of broadband in more remote rural areas) and the urban digital divide (poverty and education as negative influences to broadband access). Realizing only limited research data existed, RVA recently focused a detailed study on the urban digital divide in the U.S.. Broadband Communities Magazine came onboard as a partial sponsor.
The study focused only on those in the low-income category (half the sample were under $30,000 in household income with half in the $30,000-$60,000 range). The respondents resided in the most densely populated urban zip codes in the U.S. All participants in the study sample had already crossed over to an online presence.
The study discovered fascinating new insights on the status of the urban digital divide, the profound impacts of moving into today’s online world, and the barriers and motivators that come into play during the journey – valuable information to help strategic planning toward improving online access for all.
The research also studied critically important citizen attitudes toward “Smart City” activities in a city’s central core (cameras, sensors and data analysis designed to help make the city more efficient or potentially improve citizen quality of life) as well as the potential privacy concerns of such activities. (2019)