Sweeping National Survey By Thomas P. Miller & Associates (TPMA) Highlights Internet Connectivity Disparities

An unprecedented survey recently launched by Thomas P. Miller & Associates (TPMA), a national workforce and economic development consulting firm, aimed at garnering actionable intelligence and insight from across 50 States, has found that nearly three quarters (73%) of those polled from within rural communities suggest that access to broadband internet is among their top needs, a startling finding when contrasted with priorities such as quality healthcare. 
 
TPMA’s ’Prosperity Through Equity’ Survey reports that the most inaccessible needs for those in rural communities were affordable, quality housing (77%), access to living wages (74%), and access to broadband internet (73%) according to respondents.
 
Furthermore, out of 12 categories, community access to broadband internet ranked at just 26%, the fourth-least accessible amenity after criminal justice reform (20%), affordable, quality housing and access to childcare (both 19%). 
 
Andrea Adkins-Hutchins of Executive Leadership at Thomas P. Miller & Associates (TPMA), stated that, “Reliable broadband access is today a necessity for economic development, a critical component of business, education, healthcare, and other essential services, applicable to both urban and rural communities. Our study emblemizes the significance of broadband to rural municipalities across the country, appreciating its great potential to serve as an equalizer for those communities which have traditionally lacked information and the resources that support progress”.
 
Understanding the significance of the ’Prosperity Through Equity’ Survey’s findings, on offer as a pro bono public service to the policy-making community and to private sector stakeholders, TPMA is considering carrying out the Survey annually in future.
 
“We know how democratizing the internet can be,” TPMA President and CEO Tom Miller remarked. “Especially throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, when we relied primarily on the internet to carry out day-to-day business operations from afar, provide reliable access to nationally-competitive education and even healthcare services - Internet connectivity needs to be thought of as a human right in America, now more than ever, as our Prosperity Through Equity survey indicates.” 
 
And yet, the Federal Communications Commission report released in April 2020 suggests that 22.3% of Americans in rural areas lack high-speed internet; for many, the report outlines, the costs of installing such infrastructure has companies hesitant to tackle the issue. 
 
“Therefore, it is no surprise that 80% of our survey respondents identified a lack of infrastructure as the main issue preventing access to high-speed internet connectivity in their respective communities,” Hutchins continued.  
 
“This should be one of the most prominent issues that both public and private enterprises seek to tackle in rural communities, particularly now that the American Infrastructure Bill is forging ahead; its benefits must be applicable and accessible to all,” she concluded.
 
The ’Prosperity Through Equity’ Survey was initially commissioned, designed, and executed to identify the most pressing economic development challenges which rural America is facing in the wake of COVID-19. The national workforce and economic development consulting firm will use the data in future to develop equitable policy initiatives alongside top standards and practices that foster long-term sustainability across some of the most important, but all-too-often neglected regions across the United States. 
 
More information about the Prosperity Through Equity Survey can be found here.
 
About Thomas P. Miller & Associates
 
For over 30 years, Thomas P. Miller & Associates (TPMA) has empowered organizations and communities to reach their goals through strategic planning and partnerships that create positive sustainable change. For more information, please visit Thomas P. Miller & Associates (tpma-inc.com).
 

Contact Information

Steven Gause

Marketing & Communications

Thomas P. Miller & Associates

Contact via E-mail