Sources: Current Population Survey – Computer and Internet Use Supplement, 2001, 2003; Pew Internet Project – Home Broadband Adoption 2006; Oklahoma Bureau for Social Research – 2006 Oklahoma Social Indicator Survey.

According to Current Population Survey data, around 15 percent of Oklahoma residents had broadband connections in 2003, compared to 22 percent nationally. More recent data suggests that around 42 percent of both Oklahoma and U.S. residents had a broadband connection from home in 2006.

Infrastructure (Supply)

While the FCC maintains data on the number of providers in a ZIP code (see the section on status of broadband in U.S.), this data has several problems and limitations. In particular, the data is taken from ZIP codes where at least one subscriber exists. Since satellites can provide Internet service just about anywhere, the FCC data really does not indicate the level of infrastructure that exists. A better picture can be obtained by looking at the phone and cable companies that offer DSL and cable Internet service throughout the state. According to the FCC, these two sources accounted for approximately 95 percent of all residential connections in the nation in 2006. This data is available from NECA Tariff # 4 data and Warren Publishing’s TV and Cable Factbook, which list all telephone exchanges and cable offices in the state – and tell which ones provide broadband access. This data is shown below for the years 2000, 2003, and 2006.

These figures show that the diffusion of wired broadband infrastructure across Oklahoma has been fairly dramatic over this period. The state benefited from AT&T Oklahoma’s “DSL 100” Initiative which pledged to bring DSL access to 68 small rural communities around the state during 2006 and 2007. They also benefited from some very forward looking rural phone companies, such as Panhandle telephone. However, broadband access is still not “universal,” as a number of cities throughout the state still have no broadband infrastructure available to them. Further, although cable and DSL services may be offered in a city, they are not necessarily offered to the surrounding rural areas. In fact, a well-known rule of thumb is that DSL service is limited to a 3-mile radius around the telephone exchange where the equipment is located (GAO, 2006). This leaves many rural areas without access to any type of broadband infrastructure.

References:

Government Accountability Office. “Broadband Deployment is Extensive Throughout the U.S., but it is Difficult to Assess the Extent of Deployment Gaps in Rural Areas. Report GAO-06-426.” May 2006.