|
|
Wisconsin IDEA
Insight • Data • Economics • Analysis
| |
Broadband Disparities Apparent in Many Regions of Wisconsin
Only 68.1 Percent of Nonmetro Populations have Access to 100/20 Mbps
| |
The Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) definition of broadband internet service has evolved over the past several decades. The original definition in 1996 was symmetrical, with 200 Kbps as the benchmark for both minimum download and upload speeds (200/200 Kbps). In 2010, the FCC changed the definition to an asymmetrical standard of 4/1 Mbps minimum download and upload speeds and updated the definition yet again in 2015 to the current classification of 25/3 Mbps. In acknowledging how internet usage continues to evolve, particularly with the impacts of the pandemic, there have been assertions from elected officials, technology organizations and consumer advocates that the 25/3 Mbps definition is insufficient and needs to be revised. Recently, FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel proposed that broadband should be defined by minimum download/upload speeds of 100/20 Mbps. While it is unknown whether these speeds will become official FCC thresholds, the 100/20 Mbps benchmarks already are being applied in some settings including the Broadband Access, Equity and Deployment (BEAD) grant program, where a lack of access to 100/20 Mbps is used to define an “underserved” location.
One perspective on the share of Wisconsin residents that have access to broadband under the current 25/3 Mbps definition versus the proposed 100/20 Mbps standard comes from the FCC’s Form 477 data. Form 477 is submitted by internet service providers (ISP) to identify census blocks where an ISP provides service in addition to information on the download and upload speeds offered. Using data from December 2020, approximately 97% of Wisconsin residents have access to 25/3 Mbps compared to 86% with access to 100/20 Mbps. Note that these figures likely overstate access as the Form 477 data have several deficiencies. Specifically, only one housing unit in a census block needs to be served by an ISP for the census block to be considered fully served. Furthermore, download and upload speeds are those that are advertised and are not necessarily what a household receives. As a result, there are some households that appear to have broadband available according to a specific benchmark, but indeed do not have access.
| |
|
The National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) convenes a Business Cycle Dating Committee that is charged with identifying the start and end of contractions and expansions in the business cycle. Contractions, or recessions, start at the peak of a business cycle and end at the trough, or low point, of a business cycle. Contractions are marked by at least two consecutive quarters of negative growth in the real gross domestic product (GDP). Expansions start at the trough of a business cycle and end at the peak.
Since 1845, there have been 34 cycles, with an average contraction of 17.0 months from peak to trough, and an average expansion, from trough to peak, of 41.4 months. However, since the end of World War II, the average contraction has been getting shorter and the average expansion has been getting longer. Indeed, the longest expansion since 1845 was a record-breaking 128 months, which occurred from June 2009 to February 2020, and the shortest contraction on record was a brief 2-month recession, which occurred from February 2020 to April 2020, at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. This month we have two questions:
Question 1. Since World War II, what has been the average length for a contraction period?
A. 10.3 months
B. 17.0 months
C. 41.4 months
D. 12.8 months
Question 2. Since World War II, what has been the average length of an expansion period?
A. 62.3 months
B. 117.2 months
C. 40.1 months
D. 64.2 months
| |
WIndicators Volume 5, Number 4: Returns to Higher Education
| |
OVERVIEW
With rising costs to students and soaring debt levels, many people are questioning the value of pursuing higher education. Nationally, a person with a bachelor’s degree will earn about $560,980 or 37.8% more than a person with a high school degree, even while accounting for lost years of work while obtaining the degree. While this premium for higher education is higher in more urban areas, it remains significant even in the most rural areas. There are, however, wide differences in terms of the premium for higher education across occupations. In the end, the decision to pursue higher education is an individual one but the premium for higher education remains real across the rural-urban spectrum.
KEY POINTS
- After adjusting for inflation (in 2020 dollars), state support for higher education in Wisconsin declined from $30,599 per full-time equivalent student in 1980 to $7,884 in 2020. This largely follows national trends.
- In 1980 students in Wisconsin paid 26.3% of the costs of higher education, but by 2020 that share increased to 45.8%.
- Based on the most recent Census data, the average annual premium for a bachelor’s degree relative to a high school (GED) degree was $19,570 for metropolitan counties and $13,243 for remote nonmetropolitan counties.
- Not all well-paying occupations require higher education degrees, particularly those in some of the trades, but most of those trades require some type of additional training but not a degree.
- The premium for higher education involves more than individual returns such as higher incomes, a more informed citizenry and enhanced opportunities for innovation which drives economic growth and development.
- Because of the positive spillover effect, or externality, of higher education on the larger economy and society at large, it takes on the characteristics of a public good which competitive markets will underinvest.
| |
| Retirement - Thank You, Bill!
| |
After over 30 years, Community Business Development Specialist and downtown extraordinaire, Bill Ryan, retired from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, Division of Extension. Bill worked with local economic development professionals, municipal planners, and interested residents looking to improve their downtown and commercial districts. As a statewide specialist, Bill provided practical, locally-based research and educational programs to inform community planning and investment. He led the development of the nationally utilized Downtown Toolbox. Bill's work has been presented nationally and continues to be the dominant source of commercial district, community-led market research techniques. During his career, Bill was awarded the Wisconsin Idea Fellow in recognition for public service on behalf of the UW and earned the title of Distinguished Lecturer. Upon his retirement in July, Bill was given the title of emeritus and awarded an appreciation of service from Dean Karl Martin for his long and distinguished career with Extension. Bill is a kind and thoughtful colleague and incredibly talented at his work. Extension colleagues and local, state, and national partners will miss his presence and expertise!
| |
September 14-16 | Eau Claire, WI
HERE is a two-day Conference and one-day Summit where attendees will participate in sessions focusing on professional development and cultural competencies for entrepreneurs, business professionals, and policymakers.
Speakers will include experienced leaders from the HMong and other Ethnic communities who will discuss their shared experiences as ethnic business owners. Attendees of the conference will have the opportunity to meet and network with industry experts and leaders, connect with mentors, and receive free business consultations during the conference.
The conference seeks to eliminate the wealth gap in communities of color, build organizational capacity to eliminate barriers and create new and innovative non-traditional solutions to drive financial mobility, increase generational wealth-building and move marginalized communities closer to achieving socio-economic wealth.
| |
A Broader Vision of Quality of Life as Economic Development Policy
Over the last couple of decades, community economic development practitioners and researchers have explored the importance of quality of life on economic activity and population growth. Dr. Amanda Weinstein discusses her work on the importance of quality of life for Midwestern communities and shares what this might mean for a broader set of economic development policy recommendations.
| |
How to Access and Analyze Data for Community Economic Development
This session provides an overview of data sources to help guide community economic development efforts at the local and regional levels. Topics covered include labor force characteristics, demographics, measures of industrial concentration, sales tax collections, and housing data options.
| |
Building on the data sources described in Part 1, this session explores how to use data once you have extracted it. Real-world examples will be shared to demonstrate how data can be used in applications related to commuting patterns, retail surplus and leakage, workforce development, housing analysis, and industry expansion and retention.
| |
(Wisconsin Public Radio - 8/23/2022)
(Wisconsin Public Radio - 8/2/2022)
(Wisconsin Public Radio - 8/2/2022)
(Wisconsin Public Radio - 7/27/2022)
| |
|
Equal Employment Opportunity & Affirmative Action Statements
An EEO/AA employer, the University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension provides equal opportunities in employment and programming, including Title VI, Title IX, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act requirements. Please make requests for reasonable accommodations to ensure equal access to our educational programs as early as possible preceding the scheduled program, service, or activity.
| |
|
|
|
|
