Home Is Where the Internet Is? High-speed Internet’s Impact on Rural Housing Values

Kelsey L. Conley and Brian Whitacre

International Regional Science Review, 2020, vol. 43, issue 5, 501-530

Abstract: The deployment of faster household Internet speeds enables new opportunities for entertainment, social interaction, and personal development, and many consider such access an essential component of everyday life. However, rural residents face lower availability, slower speeds and limited provider options, putting them at a disadvantage when compared to their urban counterparts. Connected rural households, especially those with higher speeds, may experience a premium on their home value. Data from the National Broadband Map, the Federal Communications Commission, and over 2,700 housing transactions from June 2011 to June 2017 are used to examine the impact of broadband availability on housing values in two rural Oklahoma counties via a hedonic price model. The results find no support for the existence of a broadband premium, and stress that differences across counties are crucial in assessing rural housing prices.

Keywords: broadband; housing values; rural counties; hedonic (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:inrsre:v:43:y:2020:i:5:p:501-530

DOI: 10.1177/0160017620918652

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