Southern Delaware Broadband
Broadband technologies enable high-speed internet connections that have become critical for residents, governments, schools, and businesses to become actively and competitively engaged in an information-driven economy. Though southern Delaware has experienced significant growth and development, much of the region retains its rural character. A low density of population and businesses has made it difficult to make a business case for private sector investment in broadband infrastructure in southern Delaware. As a result, there are significant pockets of unserved and underserved locations in the region, and competition among internet service providers is limited.
Since 2008, SCCI and the Institute for Public Administration (IPA) have been working with community stakeholders and state agencies to analyze the state of broadband provision in Delaware and plan for necessary improvements. Contemporary efforts focus on facilitating efforts by the Sussex Broadband Working Group and the Infrastructure sub-committee of the Sussex Economic Development Action Committee to articulate sector- and site-specific demands for enhanced broadband infrastructure and internet services, and work toward implementing these improvements.
Sussex Broadband Forum
On May 20, 2015, SCCI and IPA hosted “Picking up Speed: Delaware Broadband for Economic Development,” which attracted representatives of local governments and Delaware’s congressional delegation, broadband providers and innovators, library professionals, developers, and farmers and other business owners. The presentations from that forum are available here:
- State of Broadband in Southern Delaware, Troy Mix, Institute for Public Administration, University of Delaware
- Fibertech Networks Company and Project Overview, Drew Mullin, Vice President, Product Management and Strategy, Fibertech Networks
- The Transformation of Economic Development: Where Does Broadband Fit In?, Erik Pages, EntreWorks Consulting
Earlier work included initial research on the state of broadband in Sussex County, which culminated in a public forum and the release of a companion report in summer 2009. From 2010 to 2014, IPA worked with the Delaware Department of Technology and Information to map the availability of broadband services across Delaware, provide digital literacy trainings, and facilitate community working groups as they planned for enhanced broadband provision in the region.
The following resources provide background on this ongoing work program.
Publications
Stimulating Broadband Adoption in Delaware: A Planning Tool, December 2011. (PDF 1.98 MB) Written by: Andrew Homsey, Theodore Patterson, and Todd O’Boyle of the Institute for Public Administration, University of Delaware.
Broadband Opportunities for Sussex County (PDF 648KB) Written by: Troy Mix, David Beauchamp, and Matthias Wendt of the Institute for Public Administration, University of Delaware.
Website
Visit the State of Delaware Broadband site for more information on broadband availability and speeds across Delaware.