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Broadband Access Information from the REALTOR® Party
Rural Outreach Initiative: Broadband (REALTOR® Party)
“Inadequate broadband access is restraining many rural communities from strengthening their economies as the absence of broadband makes a community a less attractive location for residents, new investment and development. Broadband is no longer a luxury but a necessity as affordable high-speed broadband will soon become almost as important as water and electricity. REALTORS® support a comprehensive national policy to stimulate the deployment of broadband in underserved areas of the U.S., increase data speeds and lower broadband prices.” Utilize this page to understand NAR’s resources, research, and positions on broadband access.
Broadband Access and Property Values
Assessing the Impact of Broadband on Property Value (National Mortgage News, Oct. 30, 2025)
“High-speed internet access has evolved from a luxury amenity to an essential utility that directly influences residential property valuations across the United States. Modern homebuyers and mortgage lenders increasingly recognize broadband connectivity as a major factor in determining home desirability and market value.”
The Fibre Broadband Housing Premium Across Three US States (Regional Studies, Regional Science, Feb. 8, 2024)
“This paper meshes 1.7 million housing transactions across three US states (Iowa, Minnesota and Texas) between 2015 and 2021 with data on broadband infrastructure to evaluate the impact of fibre broadband availability on home prices. This was a period of dramatic fibre growth in these states: prior to 2019, fibre was only available to roughly 24% of the houses sold but rose to 54% in later years. A traditional pricing model that includes a wide array of housing characteristics and census block group-level effects estimates the fibre premium at around 1% in all three states for the full 2105–2021 period. The fibre premium was higher in the earlier part of this period, likely reflecting its novelty during that time. A conservative national estimate of the increase in housing value from deploying ubiquitous fibre is $36 billion.”
Broadband Challenges and Opportunities in Affordable Rental Housing (Pew Research, Apr. 3, 2023)
“To learn more about the challenges and opportunities related to connecting households in federally subsidized multifamily housing, The Pew Charitable Trusts interviewed experts in housing, broadband, and digital equity, as well as personnel from federal and state agencies that provide funding for development and operation of affordable housing. Pew also received responses to a set of emailed questions from three internet service providers (ISPs): two large national ISPs and a fixed wireless provider that has partnered with affordable housing providers to serve residents. This research primarily focused on place-based multifamily housing programs subsidized by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), but interviewees also addressed other programs, including the Low-Income Housing Tax Credits, administered by the Internal Revenue Service, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Housing Service. Many of the findings apply to all these types of housing.”
High-Speed Internet Access and Housing Values (Applied Economics, Jun. 19, 2019)
“The model in this study estimated that single family homes with access to a 25Mbps broadband connection have a price that is about $5,977, or 3% more than similar homes in neighborhoods with 1Mbps. The rural premium is lower at $5,099.”
Broadband Access Issues and Inequalities
Internet Poverty Index (World Data Lab)
“The Internet Poverty Index (IPI) combines price and spending data to assess how many people can and cannot afford a basic package of mobile internet. The index assess the three pillars of internet poverty: affordability (how much would someone spend on mobile internet?), quantity (what is a minimum amoung of data?), and quality (what is a reasonable quality of internet connection?).”
How the Digital Divide Reinforces Internet Inequality Across America (Forbes, Nov. 30, 2025)
“In our hyper-connected era, digital access isn't optional, it’s foundational. Yet for too many families, reliable broadband remains out of reach. This modern inequality isn’t just about buffering, it represents a deep structural barrier to opportunity, financial inclusion, and civic participation. Digital exclusion isn’t new, but has deep infrastructural roots. Many diverse or low-income neighborhoods lack reliable fiber or high-speed options due to underinvestment by telecom providers. A McKinsey report found that approximately 40% of Black American households don’t have high-speed, fixed broadband. In the rural South, 38% of Black households don’t have broadband.”
Futureproof Fiber Gives Homeowners and Edge, but Access Isn’t Always Fair (CNET, Jul. 12, 2025)
A Fiber Broadband Association and The Brattle Group study shows homes with a fiber connection have an average 14% increase in home value compared with homes without fiber…The broadband divide shouldn't hinder wealth-building through homeownership, but it does. The Federal Communications Commission shows only 46% of US households have access to fiber broadband, with low-income and rural communities disproportionately affected by the lack of internet service provider options.
The Digitial Divide and Refinancing Inequalitypdf (University of California – Los Angeles, Apr. 20, 2023)
“Low-income households derive significantly less savings from mortgage refinancing than their wealthy counterparts. We document that the rise of refinancing inequality in the United States can be partially explained by the gap in access to modern information and communications technology. Using granular spatial variation of a large-scale broadband subsidy program, I show that high-speed internet facilitates refinancing activity and reduces monthly mortgage payments. These effects are large and persistent, corresponding to a 5 percent increase in disposable income and up to $18,000 in total savings for low-income households. The growth of refinancing is pronounced in underserved areas with low access to bank branches and among populations that are likely to have low financial and digital literacy.”
Government Broadband Access Programs
Broadband Equity Access and Deployment Program (National Telecommunications and Information Administration)
“The Broadband Equity Access and Deployment Program (BEAD) Program, funded by the IIJA, is a $42.45 billion federal grant program that aims to connect every American to high-speed internet by funding partnerships to build infrastructure. In June 2023, NTIA announced allocation amounts for all 56 states and territories. States and territories can use their allocated funds for these eligible uses: Planning for the deployment of high-speed internet, including conducting research, collecting data, outreach, and training; Deploying or upgrading internet infrastructure in unserved or underserved areas, or improving service to community anchor institutions; Installing internet and Wi-Fi service in multi-unit residential buildings; Internet access, adoption and use programs; Workforce readiness programs to meet the needs of the infrastructure programs; and other activities that increase meaningful use of constructed infrastructure, at the discretion of the Assistant Secretary.”
Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program (National Telecommunications and Information Administration)
“The Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program is a $3 billion program directed to Tribal Governments, Tribal Colleges and Universities, Tribal Organizations and Native Corporations, and the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands to be used for broadband deployment on tribal lands, as well as for telehealth, distance learning, broadband affordability, and adoption.”
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