The digital divide: Patterns, policy and scenarios for connecting the ‘final few’ in rural communities across Great Britain
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University of Aberdeen; University of ChesterPublication Date
2017-01-17
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The Internet can bestow significant benefits upon those who use it. The prima facie case for an urban-rural digital divide is widely acknowledged, but detailed accounts of the spatial patterns of digital communications infrastructure are rarely reported. In this paper we present original analysis of data published by the UK telecommunications regulator, Ofcom, and identify and reflect on the entrenched nature of the urban-rural digital divide in Great Britain. Drawing upon illustrative case vignettes we demonstrate the implications of digital exclusion for personal and business lives in rural, and in particular remote rural, areas. The ability of the current UK policy context to effectively address the urban-rural digital divide is reviewed and scenarios for improving digital connectivity amongst the ‘final few’, including community-led broadband, satellite broadband and mobile broadband, are considered. A call is made for digital future proofing in telecommunications policy, without which the already faster urban areas will get ‘faster, fastest’ leaving rural areas behind and an increasingly entrenched urban-rural divide.Citation
Philip, L., Cottrill, C., Farrington, F., Williams, F. & Ashmore, F. (2017). The digital divide: patterns, policy and options for connecting the final few in rural communities across Great Britain. Journal of Rural Studies, 54, 386-398.Publisher
ElsevierJournal
Journal of Rural StudiesAdditional Links
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0743016716306799Type
ArticleLanguage
enISSN
0743-0167ae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.1016/j.jrurstud.2016.12.002
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Except where otherwise noted, this item's license is described as http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/