Digital arroyos and imaginary fences : assessing the impact of public policy, communication technologies, and commercial investment on Internet access in rural Texas

Simple item page
dc.contributor.advisorStrover, Sharon
dc.creatorNicholas, Kyle Halletten
dc.date.accessioned2015-02-11T20:07:12Zen
dc.date.available2015-02-11T20:07:12Zen
dc.date.issued2000-08en
dc.descriptiontexten
dc.description.abstractOne of the key complications in connecting citizens to the Internet is "remoteness," or distance from a community to the nearest metropolis. Rural areas often have higher communication and transportation costs, and have difficulty attracting investment and services in areas with insufficient telecommunication infrastructure. The communication perspective distinguishes communication from information transport, and asserts communication as the principal function of both technology and policy. The study utilizes a political economy approach to examine the interaction of specific Internet technologies, Universal Service and Texas Expanded Local Calling (ELC) policies, and commercial investment patterns with Internet access in rural Texas. A statistical analysis of 208 rural telephone exchanges was conducted to determine the relationship between Internet access, demographic characteristics and the presence of ELC policy. A concentrated case study of seven rural Texas counties, including interviews with Internet Service Providers, determined the quality and bandwidth of rural connections and the viability of state policy in addressing access issues for remote citizens. Remote communities were far less likely to have Internet access. However, those communities with ELC were much more likely to be connected than their counterparts. ELC policy favors those communities closer to metropolitan areas and served by major telephone carriers. The specific rules of ELC policy eliminate the neediest communities from regulatory relief. Rural citizens also are more likely to have Internet access in areas served by major carriers, with relatively low Hispanic populations and relatively high incomes. There are fewer ISPs in remote regions and those few are rarely prosperous. Bandwidth is generally lower, prices can be higher, and fewer services are offered. This study indicates the importance of the "last mile" of telecommunications infrastructure in connecting citizens to the Internet and highlights the need to examine a complex array of factors that condition the discursive and expressive potential of citizens in our communication age.en
dc.description.departmentRadio-Television-Filmen
dc.format.mediumelectronicen
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/2152/28438en
dc.language.isoengen
dc.rightsCopyright is held by the author. Presentation of this material on the Libraries' web site by University Libraries, The University of Texas at Austin was made possible under a limited license grant from the author who has retained all copyrights in the works.en
dc.rights.restrictionRestricteden
dc.subjectInternet accessen
dc.subjectRural Texasen
dc.subjectExpanded Local Callingen
dc.subjectPolitical factorsen
dc.subjectEconomic factorsen
dc.titleDigital arroyos and imaginary fences : assessing the impact of public policy, communication technologies, and commercial investment on Internet access in rural Texasen
dc.typeThesisen
thesis.degree.departmentRadio-Television-Filmen
thesis.degree.disciplineRadio-Television-Filmen
thesis.degree.grantorThe University of Texas at Austinen
thesis.degree.levelDoctoralen
thesis.degree.nameDoctor of Philosophyen

Access full-text files

Original bundle

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
No Thumbnail Available
Name:
txu-pcl-digital_arroyos.pdf
Size:
12.24 MB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Description:
Access Restricted to UT Austin EID holders Final pdf File
Download
No Thumbnail Available
Name:
txu-pcl-digital_arroyos.txt
Size:
384.12 KB
Format:
Plain Text
Description:
Access Restricted to UT Austin EID holders Plain Text File
Download

License bundle

Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
No Thumbnail Available
Name:
license.txt
Size:
1.66 KB
Format:
Item-specific license agreed upon to submission
Description:
Download

Collections

UT Electronic Theses and Dissertations