Broadband Communities

JUL 2015

BROADBAND COMMUNITIES is the leading source of information on digital and broadband technologies for buildings and communities. Our editorial aims to accelerate the deployment of Fiber-To-The-Home and Fiber-To-The-Premises.

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96 | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | www.broadbandcommunities.com | JULY 2015 THE GIGABIT HIGHWAY FTTH Boosts Home Values A new study commissioned by the FTTH Council Americas shows that access to fber-delivered Internet boosts home values by up to 3.1 percent. By Heather Burnett Gold / FTTH Council Americas I n June, the Fiber to the Home Council Americas released a white paper that showed access to fber may increase a home's value by up to 3.1 percent. Using the National Broadband Map and a nationwide sample of real estate prices from 2011 to 2013, the study's authors investigated the relationship between fber-delivered Internet services and housing prices. Te boost to the value of a typical home – $5,437 – is roughly equivalent to adding a freplace, half a bathroom or a quarter of a swimming pool to the home. Te new study found that, for homes where 1 Gbps broadband was available, transaction prices were more than 7 percent higher than for homes located where the highest speed available is 25 Mbps or lower. Te study adds to a growing body of research that demonstrates the consumer benefts from widespread access to fber broadband Internet. A number of studies have linked broadband networks and new investments in such networks to improved economic performance. Te speed and reliability that fber provides ofer further benefts. Most recently, in 2014, the FTTH Council released a study that found higher per capita GDP in communities where gigabit Internet was available. Infrastructure investment, job creation, entrepreneurship, and business relocation or expansion are all manifestations of this growth. Te evidence is mounting: Investment in fber improves the economic performance of a community as well as its quality of life. Around the United States, local leaders have started to think about how Internet infrastructure in their communities catalyzes economic, educational and governmental innovation. v Heather Burnett Gold is president and CEO of the Fiber to the Home Council Americas, a nonproft association whose mission is to accelerate deployment of all-fber access networks. You can contact her at heather.b.gold@ftthcouncil.org. Community Toolkit Program & Economic Development Conference Series C i T l k i P The FTTH Council's Community Toolkit helps cities get a jump-start on the gigabit highway. Don't miss the Community Toolkit Program in Lexington, September 16 and 17. C o n f e r e n c e S e r i e s

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