Timing and determinants of local residential broadband adoption: evidence from Ireland

This paper tests whether households that are offered broadband service for the first time tend to delay in taking it up. Using cross-sectional data on broadband take-up and socioeconomic characteristics of small areas in Ireland, linked to GIS data on ADSL availability, I find that local adoption rates are positively associated with the time elapsed since service was first offered. The strength of this association increases for the first two years after local enabling of service and then decreases to zero after about five years. The paper also includes estimates of the effect of various household characteristics on adoption, finding effects broadly consistent with previous literature. Simultaneity in demand and supply are addressed using 2SLS regression. Further research will be needed to explain the mechanisms behind lags in adoption behaviour, but those evaluating investments or subsidies in broadband infrastructure should such take lags into account. --residential broadband demand,econometric analysis,speed of adoption

Many people never switch telecoms provider; what is different about switchers? ESRI Research Bulletin 2018/7

Many consumers have never switched telecoms company, despite the efforts of regulators to encourage shopping around and to make switching easier. A significant number of consumers need to be willing to compare offers and to consider switching to better ones if the benefits of competition are going to be spread more widely. In particular, if there are identifiable groups of consumers who are unlikely to consider switching, they may end up with worse deals than other consumers. This research investigated which consumers are more inclined to switch providers of broadband, mobile phone and landline services. It looked not only at individual characteristics like age, family structure and income, but also at characteristics of the service and how it is used, such as whether it is ‘bundled’ or whether people in the household use smart phones to browse the internet. The study also recorded how much money people think they might save by switching and whether people had experienced ‘bill-shock’ (an unexpectedly high bill)

Productivity is higher among some service firms when broadband becomes available, but not all. ESRI Research Bulletin 2019/04

Using internet services over broadband connections may help some firms become more productive, generating more output from a given amount of labour and capital equipment. However, there is mixed evidence internationally about how large this benefit has been in practice and which types of firms are most likely to improve their productivity by using these technologies. In this research we examine the effects of broadband availability on the productivity of service sector firms. Some previous studies using region- or country-level data have reported large productivity effects of broadband on services, but it is hard for this type of study to prove that broadband is making firms more productive. For example, their results might partly be explained by factors that both make firms more productive and more likely to use broadband, rather than a causal link from one to the other. Studies using data on firms have tended to find little evidence that there are broad-based gains from this source.2 Our research tries to unpack the service sector to see whether there are identifiable groups of firms that register significant productivity gains after broadband becomes available to them. Knowing more about how large and focused these benefits are should help policymakers predict the likely effects of programmes to bring high-speed broadband to less well-served areas

Stick or switch? Consumer switching in 14 retail markets across Europe. ESRI Research Bulletin 2019/12

Consumer advocates and regulators encourage the public to search for better deals in markets for services like telecoms, energy and insurance, arguing that there are opportunities to save money and get better service by switching. Consumer switching can also help spur competition. Yet rates of switching vary a lot across markets: many people seldom think about changing their package or service provider and fewer still actually switch. If research can identify some of the barriers that deter people from searching or switching in particular markets, maybe policies can be designed to help enable and encourage switching behaviour. This study examines some of the factors that affect switching rates for European consumers across a wide range of markets

Timing and Determinants of Local Residential Broadband Adoption: Evidence from Ireland. ESRI WP432. March 2012

This article examines the time path of broadband adoption for households in areas that are offered broadband service for the first time and the socioeconomic characteristics of broadband users generally. Using cross-sectional data on broadband take-up and socioeconomic characteristics of small areas in Ireland, linked to GIS data on ADSL availability over time, I find that local penetration growth rates are elevated immediately after service is offered. Local growth rates then decline towards the national average, reaching it after about 3.5 years. The article also includes estimates of the effect of various household characteristics on adoption, finding effects broadly consistent with previous literature. Simultaneity in demand and supply are addressed using 2SLS regression

Can Small Firms’ Perceived Constraints Help Explain Survival Rates? ESRI WP182, February 2007

Survey evidence on small firms’ perceived constraints might provide useful information on the effects of institutional impediments, such as regulatory burdens, on post-entry performance. Using a new dataset that merges ENSR survey data on small firms’ major constraints with Eurostat small firm demography data, we find that some perceived constraints are associated with significant differences in survival rates for new small firms. However, the constraints variables seem only weakly related to survival, and some prominent constraints including administrative regulations and availability of finance are not significant. We suggest refinements in survey design that might improve the usefulness of such data for inter-country comparisons

Timing and Determinants of Local Residential Broadband Adoption: Evidence from Ireland. ESRI WP361. November 2010

This paper tests whether households that are offered broadband service for the first time tend to delay in taking it up. Using cross-sectional data on broadband take-up and socioeconomic characteristics of small areas in Ireland, linked to GIS data on ADSL availability, I find that local adoption rates are positively associated with the time elapsed since service was first offered. The strength of this association increases for the first two years after local enabling of service and then decreases to zero after about five years. The paper also includes estimates of the effect of various household characteristics on adoption, finding effects broadly consistent with previous literature. Simultaneity in demand and supply are addressed using 2SLS regression. Further research will be needed to explain the mechanisms behind lags in adoption behaviour, but those evaluating investments or subsidies in broadband infrastructure should such take lags into account

How impact fees and local planning regulation can influence deployment of telecoms infrastructure

This paper examines how local government planning regulations and charges affect the deployment of telecommunications infrastructure. We explore the economic rationale for local government regulation of such infrastructure, which we suggest should be based on managing negative externalities. Using data from Ireland, we find that the observed geographical pattern of impact fees is inconsistent with the economic rationale for them. A simple econometric model of the number of telecoms masts in each country also suggests that the level of impact fees is negatively associated with mast deployment. This paper also examines other regulatory factors that affect the provision of new infrastructure. We find wide regional variation in these regulations but are unableto quantify their impact on infrastructure provision. Such regulatory complexity places extra compliance burdens on private operators, which may in turn distort the level and regional pattern of network investment. We suggest further regional harmonisation of development policy towards telecoms infrastructure to avoid exacerbating regional disparities in rollout of services. --Land use regulation,telecommunications infrastructure investment,impact fees

Foliar Photodegradation in Pesticide Environmental Modeling

The work described here was conducted to better understand how pesticides will behave following their application to crops or soil. This understanding will allow for better use of pesticides which will protect the environment and non-target organisms while remaining effective against pests. The Pesticide Dissipation form Agricultural Land (PeDAL) model was developed to simulate pesticide behavior following application and laboratory experiments focused on the photodegradation of select pesticides on alfalfa leaves were conducted to support this model