Internet Accessibility and Satisfaction Study Wicliff Fleurizard, - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

ASSESSMENT REPORT: City of Tallahassee and Florida A&M University Internet Accessibility and Satisfaction Study Wicliff Fleurizard, Zachary Saffold, Amira Spann (under guidance from Jason Black, PhD) Florida A&M University December 4, 2019

Outline of Presentation • Introduction / Overview • Background Research • Description of the Study • Results of the Study / Evaluation • Conclusion / Future Opportunities

INTRODUCTION

Overview • Throughout the US, access to affordable internet service still a major problem • Factors affecting access include: – Pricing – Location – Socio-economic status • Current need : – an analysis of current accessibility of internet access for Tallahassee residents and businesses

Goal of Research • Primary: – To survey local residents and business owners to gather data on internet access and quality – To determine areas of community that are most significantly impacted by poor access and quality • Secondary: – To allow residents and business owners to have their voices heard – To provide the City with data points to begin strategic planning on improving access

Research Questions • The report will address the following research questions: 1. Are residents and business owners satisfied with their current internet access? 2. Are residents and business owners currently aware of low-cost services provided to them? 3. Do business owners have a significantly different experience as it relates to access and quality of internet service?

BACKGROUND RESEARCH

Impact of Broadband Nationwide • Fiber-optic Internet Service: transmission of internet data by light signals that travel on a fiber encased in a cable. (Wisegeek 2019). – Signal known for being very strong and fast • Many Americans do not have sufficient broadband access – Estimated 23 million rural residents lacking access (FCC, 2019)) • Lack of access can impact the ability of residents to work, communicate, learn

Current Internet Landscape - Tallahassee • Major stress points for Tallahassee include the accessibility to coverage, and the type of impact service providers have on residents • Currently, fiber-optic network services are available for residents in Tallahassee, including: – Xfinity (Comcast) – $29-110/month - Cable – MediaCom – $39.99/month - Cable – CenturyLink – $45-153/month – DSL/Fiber – HughesNet - $49.99/month – Satellite – Dish - $60/month – Satellite

Current Internet Landscape – Tallahassee (cont.) • Opportunities for expansion of access: – MetroNet has recently announced an expansion of broadband internet service available in the city – Projected $75M investment for a new high- speed fiber-optic internet, TV and phone • Growth of need for high-speed access has been exponential – Since 2000, 82.3% increase in internet users worldwide (McLuhan, 2018) – Increased demand for higher speeds expected

DESCRIPTION OF THE RESEARCH

Development of Survey Instruments • Determined that most optimal means of gathering necessary data was through 3 types of surveys – Tallahassee residents (20 questions) – Tallahassee Business Owners (20 questions) – Internet Service Providers (ISPs) (10 questions) • Surveys developed using Qualtrics software (http://www.Qualtrics.com)

Development of Survey Instruments (cont.) • Surveys distributed in multiple ways: – Online surveys • Standard Social Media, NextDoor TM – Printed flyers • Flyers created with QR codes, passed out at local community centers, stores, and events – In-person interviews • Various business owners and managers were interviewed face-to-face (banks, Civic Center, stores) – Online surveys posted in early November, with 2-week closing; interviews and printed surveys distributed simultaneously

RESULTS OF THE SURVEY AND EVALUATION

Summary of Data Analysis • As of date of report: – Residential survey received 181 responses – Business survey received 23 responses • Significant difference between these two surveys was one question regarding deals offered to businesses by their current ISP

Impact Point #1 – Demographics (Residents) • Participation – Businesses : 81% – Residents : 92% • Significant Results – Businesses : • Majority Caucasian females, age 18-25, • College educated • Annual income $15,000 - $30,000. – Residents : • Majority African- American females, age 26-40 • Annual income $60,000+.

Impact Point #2 – Current Coverage (Residents) • Local Internet coverage varies among the leading internet service providers (ISPs) in the Leon County area. – Comcast(Xfinity) Internet covers 89.7% via cable (at 987 Mbps). – Although at an extensively low rate, Viasate (Exede) and HughesNet (both of whom provide Satellite internet) are the only two of the seven services studied that extends to 100% of the area. – From the DSL perspective, two services, Centurylink and EarthLink, provide coverages that extend to 95.0% and 86.9% respectively.

Figure 5 – Current Internet Coverage for Residents (BroadbandNow, 2019)

Impact Point #3 – Market Needs (Residents) • Data points examined here include 1) current provider, 2) current satisfaction, 3) location of service, 4) overall quality, 5) monthly expense and 6) provider insight • Results: – Sole cable provider – Comcast – services 80.9% of residents, of whom only 55.6% are satisfied with current service – Of the 45.64% unsatisfied, reasons include internet speed and loss of connectivity – Tallahassee ISPs have shown speed increases from 40 mbps to 1000+ mbps (CenturyLink and Earthlink’s Fiber - optic options) – Unfortunately, these 2 providers only cover ~23% of customers

Figure 6 – Current Types of Internet Service by Residents

Impact Point #1 – Location (Businesses) • Significant Results – Southside residents provided the most responses • Largest number of respondents in 32301 and 32311 zip codes (40.26%) • Respondents in 32304 zip code expressed most desire for improvements in speed and quality • Most respondents were unaware of low-cost pricing packages (though many already were using them)

Impact Point #2 – ISP and Cost (Businesses) • Significant Results – Comcast provides service for over 80% of businesses – ~37% of respondents were unsatisfied with their ISP, due to service interruptions, quality and cost (compared to 44% of residents) – +60% of respondents pay more than $50/month (compared to 30% of residents) – ~38% of respondents lose connections once or twice per month (compared to 44% of residents) – 42% of businesses have switched their ISP at least once in the last 10 years

Evaluation of Research Questions • Q1: Are residents and businesses satisfied with their internet currently? – Answer for Residents: Not Clear ; 56% reported they are satisfied, while 44% think cost is too high or quality is low – Answer for Businesses: YES ; 63% reported being satisfied • Q2: Are residents aware of low-cost programs available to them? – Answer: No ; 80.72% of residents and 71.45% of businesses reported being unaware – Note: it should be stated that ISPs are providing such programs, but for unknown reasons customers are not aware of them

Evaluation of Research Questions (cont.) • Q3: Is there a significant difference between the experience of residents and business owners when it comes to Internet service? – Answer: YES . Results show that there are a significant number of packages and deals available to businesses that are not available to residents – Additionally, 64.71% of business owners are well-aware of these deals

CONCLUSION

Summary • The researchers gathered information from local business and residents to understand satisfaction and access of Internet service • Two of three surveys – for residents and business owners – were distributed and analyzed for this study • A third survey for ISPS has been developed but will be distributed and analyzed at a later date • Results showed that residents are largely unsatisfied with quality and cost, while businesses are relatively satisfied • The Southside areas are in most significant need of improvement of quality and access

Opportunities for Future Research • The researchers could possibly provide value to the research by expanding the time and area of reach of data collection, in an effort to increase the number of respondents • Surveys could be expanded to other cities that have already implemented Broadband access, to compare results to Tallahassee area results and identify areas of immediate impact

Opportunities for Future Research (cont.) • The researchers have found multiple points of interests that can aid in bringing Broadband to Tallahassee: 1. The focus on experience of the resident with their internet service provider (i.e. customer service, outages, etc). 2. Awareness of programs meant for the residents; addressing any barriers the resident has in accessing the information for these low-cost initiatives. 3. The location of expanded broadband internet should be intentional to improve the socio- economic issues in the city and improve upward mobility of those in poverty.

QUESTIONS AND DISCUSSION