Understanding the drivers of broadband adoption: the case of rural and remote Scotland

Abstract

Broadband has been described as a transforming technology and is now widely available in many developed countries. However, broadband availability is not the same as broadband adoption. If the socio-economic benefits of broadband are to be realised, then adoption needs to be both understood and encouraged. This is particularly important in rural and remote areas. This paper explores the factors that drive broadband adoption in one particular rural and remote area; rural and remote Scotland. A causal model and a quantitative simulation model are developed indicating how the various drivers of adoption interact with one another. Both models show that past policy initiatives have impacted on the rate of adoption. However, the greatest impact could be achieved if future policy initiatives target those people who show no interest in adopting broadband. The paper concludes by suggesting that this work has implications for rural and remote areas all around the world.

Rural development in the digital age: A systematic literature review on unequal ICT availability, adoption, and use in rural areas

“…A small strand of largely descriptive literature provides overviews of 'national states of diffusion,' together with the frequently identified factors that determine adoption (Camagni and Capello, 2005;Whitacre, 2008;Zolnierek and Clausen, 2010;Khatiwada and Pigg, 2010;Turk and Trkman, 2012). Other literature takes a demand-side perspective on how to determine which factors and processes can contribute to creating more demand, and to promoting adoption of new technologies (Hollifield et al, 2000;Hollifield and Donnermeyer, 2003;Youtie et al, 2007;Turk et al, 2008;Howick and Whalley, 2008;Whitacre and Mills, 2010;Peronard and Just, 2011;Rennie et al, 2013;Hage et al, 2013). In general, people who adopt new technologies at an early stage tend to recognize the benefits of these new technologies for their everyday life, yet are also willing to accept the associated risks (LaRose et al, 2007).…”

Enhanced broadband access as a solution to the social and economic problems of the rural digital divide

“…Even when broadband is improved, adoption rates do not always increase. The literature explains this in terms of factors such as age and income levels (La Rose et al, 2007), past experience with the Internet, an appreciation of the potential benefits, and the overall cost of the service (Howick and Whalley, 2007). These factors correspond with characteristics seen in some rural communities, which might explain low adoption rates.…”

An agent-based simulation approach for the new product diffusion of a novel biomass fuel

“…The Bass model provides a closed formula describing the aggregated effects of (external) mass communication and (internal) word-of-mouth communication on the diffusion process. It has later on been extended by other authors to include additional influential factors such as price, differentiated forms of advertising or specific market characteristics (e.g., Robinson and Lakhani, 1975;Mahajan et al , 1990;Parker, 1994) and serves as basis for several simulation models of new product diffusion (e.g., Howick and Whalley, 2008). However, these models do not distinguish between individual characteristics of consumers, thus neglecting their heterogeneity in preferences and behaviour.…”