Link Harvest: Scott Wallsten On Broadband Economic Impact
http://www.twcresearchprogram.com/pdf/TWC%20Policy_Wallsten.pdf
Basically: "No one can actually prove whether broadband deployment makes a difference or not for economic development."
Wallsten stresses numerous times that (a) it's not like there is evidence against it. There's just no evidence because the scholarship on this suuuuuuuuucccckkkkkksssssss; (b) There are lots of good non-economic reasons to want universal broadband deployment; (c) it may be too early to judge impact; but (d) wouldn't it be nice to figure out how to measure this and make decisions based on less sucky scholarship?
Basically: "No one can actually prove whether broadband deployment makes a difference or not for economic development."
Wallsten stresses numerous times that (a) it's not like there is evidence against it. There's just no evidence because the scholarship on this suuuuuuuuucccckkkkkksssssss; (b) There are lots of good non-economic reasons to want universal broadband deployment; (c) it may be too early to judge impact; but (d) wouldn't it be nice to figure out how to measure this and make decisions based on less sucky scholarship?