Technological literacy and interrupted internet access

ABSTRACT

As everyday practices are increasingly digitalised, many countries are prioritising broadband rollout. However, infrastructure provision under national policies has not been uniform. In comparison to urban populations, rural communities often have inferior broadband infrastructure and services and there are disparities in digital opportunities between rural and urban areas. A case study of twenty rural Australian internet users reveals that rural communities suffer from limited access, inconsistent and unreliable services, and rural broadband plans’ data restrictions and high prices, which we conceptualise as ‘interrupted access’. Rural internet experiences are subsequently shaped by the availability, speed, stability and affordability of connections. As a response, a form of ‘technological literacy’ is emerging through which rural consumers undertake technical and social manoeuvrings to self-address challenges from interrupted access and increase their opportunities for digital inclusion. Participants developed innovative local solutions, such as self-installed auxiliary hardware and mobile towers, which they used to improve mobile broadband coverage. Those unable to build such solutions displayed new types of knowledge encompassing broader contexts of connectivity (infrastructure, devices and plans) and re-structured rural life to accommodate internet use that is shaped by interrupted access. Growing community-level capacity and interest in broadband development suggests national policies could better reduce rural-urban inequities by supporting and empowering localised solutions. Without addressing the interrupted nature of rural connectivity to improve service quality and affordability, disparities in the digital opportunities available to rural and urban consumers will persist.

KEYWORDS:

• Broadband infrastructure/services
• digital divide
• rural communities
• digital inclusion

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Julie Freeman is Edward Wilson Research Fellow and Lecturer in the School of Communication & Creative Arts at Deakin University. Her research explores how rural and regional media ecologies and variabilities in internet connectivity impact digital inclusion and local democratic engagement. [email: [email protected]]

Sora Park is the Associate Dean of Research at the Faculty of Arts & Design and Associate Professor of Communication at the University of Canberra. Her research focuses on the impact of digital technology on communication, media and society. [email: [email protected]]

Catherine Middleton is a Professor at the Ted Rogers School of Management, Ryerson University and held a Canada Research Chair in Communication Technologies in the Information Society (2007–2017). Her research focuses on the development and use of new communication technologies, with specific interests in mobile devices and fixed and wireless broadband networks. [email: [email protected]]

Notes

1 See Freeman et al. (2018) and Alizadeh and Farid (2017) for detailed background on the NBN.

2 NBN Co. operates two Sky Muster satellites and consumers contract with an ISP of their choice to receive service.

3 As of 2015, mobile coverage extended to approximately 30% of Australia’s landmass (Regional Telecommunications Review, 2015).

4 All financial figures are provided in Australian dollars (AUD).

5 In March 2019, the Federal Court fined Activ8me for false advertising of available speeds, data allowances and pricing (Wallbank, 2019).

Additional information

Funding

Freeman gratefully acknowledges the philanthropic support for this research received from the Edward Wilson Estate. Park’s contribution to this research was supported by a University of Canberra Faculty of Arts & Design Collaborative Project Development and Dissemination Grant (2016). Middleton’s involvement was undertaken, in part, thanks to funding from the Canada Research Chairs Program and was supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (Canada) and Ryerson University.