In the age of the smart machine: the future of work and power
In the age of the smart machine: the future of work and power
Strategic use of communication technology—diffusion processes in networks and environments
Information Economics and Policy
The Broadband Problem: Anatomy of a Market Failure and a Policy Dilemma
The Broadband Problem: Anatomy of a Market Failure and a Policy Dilemma
Productivity Effects of Organizational Change: Microeconometric Evidence
Management Science
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This article evaluates the impact of broadband adoption on wage and employment levels among the local exchange companies in the US telecommunications industry for the period between 1988 and 2001. Broadband is a general purpose technology and its adoption and diffusion is expected positively to impact wages because of the need for higher level skill in its deployment and usage, but can also lead to less human capital usage because of a scale effect. Using the extent of fiber adoption among the local exchange firms as a measure of broadband deployment, it was found that broadband diffusion within and between the firms over time has had a positive and significant impact on wage levels but its impact on employment has been negative. As broadband diffusion increases, with substantial scope available to do so given the low levels of deployment both among the local exchange firms studied and within the United States as a whole, the impact of such diffusion on enhancing wage levels in the sector can be profound.