Population grid-based assessment of the impact of broadband expansion on population development in rural areas

Olli Lehtonen

doi:10.1016/j.telpol.2020.102028

Population grid-based assessment of the impact of broadband expansion on population development in rural areas

Telecomm Policy. 2020 Nov;44(10):102028. doi: 10.1016/j.telpol.2020.102028. Epub 2020 Aug 25.

Author

Olli Lehtonen^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Natural Resources Institute Finland, Latokartanonkaari 9, 00790, Helsinki, Finland.
² University of Eastern Finland, Department of Historical and Geographical Studies, P.O. Box 111, 80101, Joensuu, Finland.

Abstract

This paper estimates the effect of the expansion of broadband infrastructure, which enables high-speed Internet, on population development in panel of Finnish areas in the period 2010-2018. The study differs from previous studies in that it uses accurate statistics on the availability of broadband in 1 km * 1 km population grids. Therefore, the impact of broadband availability on rural development is evaluated more accurately than previously. The results of the Difference-in-difference (DiD) regression analysis show that the availability of broadband reduces depopulation of remote and sparsely populated rural areas. In this respect, the telecommunication policy in Finland has been successful, and the findings encourage the expansion of broadband infrastructure in rural areas.

Keywords: Broadband; Finland; GIS; Population development; Regression modelling; Rural areas.