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Despite equivalent monthly costs, broadband Internet service in the greater Washington D.C. area is slower in rural and lower-income neighborhoods than in their wealthy suburban counterparts, a new Knight-funded study found.  The analysis of more than 4,000 records of speed tests and surveys in D.C. were compiled by the Investigative Reporting Workshop at American University to explore inequality in local Internet access.

The research complements the National Telecommunications and Information Administration‘s recent release of a federal map highlighting broadband availability in the U.S.  Though the extensive mapping and data collection program issued by the federal government provides insight to the overall connectivity options throughout the country, this new information, applicable only to D.C. residents, clarifies actual’connection speeds and prices in specific neighborhoods.  Together, the two could raise awareness not only about equal rights to information availability, but also about practices of broadband suppliers previously unknown.

John Dunbar, author of the Workshop report, commented in an article written by the Washington Post, saying, “The original digital divide was about access, but we are now moving into a territory where we are understanding that the real barrier to access is about price and value.”

Said Eric Newton, Knight’s vice president for journalism: “This excellent investigative project details how all broadband is not created equal.  It raises an important question as the nation struggles to regain global broadband leadership: With gaping digital divides in pricing and speed, is what we have been calling “universal broadband” really universal?”

Disparity in broadband access reflects the ongoing discussion about the information needs of communities in a democracy.  For more detail visit www.knightcomm.org, or read the news release on the study.