Internet Access in Rural Areas: Brake or Stimulus as Post-Covid-19 Opportunity?

Abstract

The lack of internet access in most rural areas has become a challenge worldwide. The Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted trends such as teleworking and e-commerce, meaning an opportunity for the local economy of these areas, but with serious difficulties in carrying it out. This paper aims to detect this lack of internet in inland areas of the region of Valencia through local actors, in order to identify clear priorities and real needs through an explorative and replicable approach based on agglomerative hierarchical clustering (AHC). The main findings suggest that there are different patterns in the rural internet access related to adequate infrastructure and planned actions by local councils. In this way, a multitude of contextual elements have emerged that influence the importance of efficient access to the internet in rural areas. It is essential to know the real needs and demands of the population before implementing plans and programs that may not be relevant for the actors involved in territorial development.

Paradigm Shifting—The Use of Mobile Communications at Work and the Subsequent Effects

“…does not have a significant influence. The research results are in line with the results of other studies [61][62][63][64][65].…”

“…They concluded that education level, jobs requiring higher qualifications, age, gender, and living in rural or urban areas strongly influence teleworking. Ruiz-Martinez and Esparcia [64] also analyzed the impact of internet access on telework and e-commerce in rural areas of Spain and concluded that the lack of adequate infrastructure can adversely affect them, highlighting local the role of local authorities in ensuring sufficient infrastructure. Lewis [65] researched the impact of I.C.T.…”

The potential of small-scale spatial data in regional science

“…Issa and Bergs ( 2022 ) use Sentinel 5P image composites showing NO 2 emissions (14 days moving averages of daily images from March to April 2020), local data on Covid-19 incidence, and the local level of teleworkability to estimate the potential reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in German regions exhibiting different economic structures. Using municipality-level data of de-population risk linked to a survey in the Valencia region (Spain) during the Covid-19 period, Ruiz-Martinez and Esparcia ( 2020 ) show how functions and economic prospects of rural regions depend on the local internet access.…”

Sinergias rural-urbanas: hacia un marco conceptual aplicado al área funcional de Valencia (España) / / / \ \ \ Rural-urban synergies: towards a conceptual framework applied to the functional area of Valencia (Spain)

“…La creciente brecha digital de muchas áreas rurales respecto de los centros urbanos constituye un factor de desequilibro que contrarresta esas ventajas, contribuyendo, por un lado, a frenar esa posible relocalización de profesionales más vinculados o próximos a las nuevas formas de trabajo deslocalizado; por otro, a frenar o limitar el atractivo en tanto que residencias secundarias o espacios de ocio para población urbana; y, finalmente, en cuanto se está convirtiendo en una brecha también social, en tanto que el acceso a servicios de internet suficientes son considerados como un derecho básico (tal como declaró la propia ONU en 2016). El trabajo de investigación puso de relieve tales deficiencias y, como consecuencia, la creación de nuevas redes de gobernanza y mecanismos de innovación (Ruiz-Martínez & Esparcia, 2020).…”