Question A: Rural broadband programs funded with income taxes will lead to higher state economic growth in the long run.
Question B: Rural broadband programs funded with income taxes will reduce state income inequality in the long run.
Question A: Rural broadband programs funded with income taxes will lead to higher state economic growth in the long run.
| Economist | Institution | Opinion | Confidence | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jonathan Andreas | Bluffton University | Uncertain | 2 | It could lead to higher growth in theory, but I just don't know enough about the details to be able to give an opinion. |
| Bizuayehu Bedane | Marietta College | Strongly Agree | 9 | |
| Kevin Egan | University of Toledo | Strongly Agree | 10 | Reliable and fast internet connection everywhere is the modern equivalent of building the interstate highway system in the 1950s. And note those highways are still FREE, funded with taxpayer dollars. |
| Kenneth Fah | Ohio Dominican University | Agree | 8 | |
| Robert Gitter | Ohio Wesleyan University | Strongly Agree | 9 | In this day and age broadband is almost as necessary as roads and other utilities. |
| Nancy Haskell | University of Dayton | Agree | 7 | |
| Paul Holmes | Ashland University | Uncertain | 7 | Benefits from rural broadband programs would likely be large for rural consumers, but gains are more likely consumptive than productive. I suspect education benefits are probably overstated. |
| Michael Jones | University of Cincinnati | Agree | 3 | |
| Fadhel Kaboub | Denison University | Agree | 8 | Generally, yes, but this ought to be Federal infrastructure spending, and it needs to be regulated as a public utility. |
| Michael Myler | University of Mount Union | Strongly Agree | 7 | If broadband within a large city leads to economic growth, it ought to do the same for rural areas. |
| Joe Nowakowski | Muskingum University | Strongly Agree | 10 | |
| Curtis Reynolds | Kent State University | Agree | 6 | Broadband access is far from universal and would be beneficial. Income tax cuts are unlikely to produce economic growth (tax rates are already low). So it would seem that cutting this program to pay for income tax cuts would be worse for economic growth. |
| Lewis Sage | Baldwin Wallace University | Agree | 6 | |
| Dean Snyder | Antioch College | Agree | 8 | |
| Melissa Thomasson | Miami University | Strongly Agree | 9 | |
| Thomas Traynor | Wright State University | Strongly Agree | 10 | |
| Ejindu Ume | Miami University | Uncertain | 5 | While state funding for rural broadband deployment will lead to growth, financing specifics will determine the level of growth. For instance, will the funding for broadband compete against other important government services like education, healthcare, transportation, etc.? Will the funding be combined with other grants or loans? And, which part of the broadband project will receive funding: first-mile, middle-mile, or last-mile? |
| Andy Welki | John Carroll University | Agree | 8 | Broadband access is necessary to eliminate the digital divide. |
| Kathryn Wilson | Kent State University | Agree | 7 | |
| Rachel Wilson | Wittenberg University | Agree | 6 |
Question B: Rural broadband programs funded with income taxes will reduce state income inequality in the long run.
| Economist | Institution | Opinion | Confidence | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jonathan Andreas | Bluffton University | Agree | 3 | Universal benefit programs usually reduce inequality, but this is only universal in rural areas where people are richer and low-income people use less broadband, so not sure. |
| Bizuayehu Bedane | Marietta College | Agree | 9 | |
| Kevin Egan | University of Toledo | Strongly Agree | 10 | Many people would like to stay in their smaller community and reliable and fast and affordable internet connections will allow this by increasing remote work opportunities and equalizing education opportunities which are increasingly internet based. |
| Kenneth Fah | Ohio Dominican University | Strongly Agree | 9 | |
| Robert Gitter | Ohio Wesleyan University | Strongly Agree | 10 | It is the lower income areas of the state such as Appalachia and inner cities that lack broadband. |
| Nancy Haskell | University of Dayton | Strongly Agree | 9 | |
| Paul Holmes | Ashland University | Strongly Agree | 9 | The benefits accrue to those without broadband access, who are generally poorer than average. (Of course, this depends on the equity effects of the income taxes.) |
| Michael Jones | University of Cincinnati | Uncertain | 5 | |
| Fadhel Kaboub | Denison University | Agree | 8 | Generally, yes, but inequality is much more complicated to narrow it down to access to broadband funded via state income tax. |
| Michael Myler | University of Mount Union | Uncertain | 5 | That would be true if rural areas are currently poor relative to urban areas. |
| Joe Nowakowski | Muskingum University | Agree | 8 | |
| Curtis Reynolds | Kent State University | Agree | 8 | This seems clearer in that there are clear differences in broadband access which hinders economic activities, plus income tax cuts are not likely to reduce income inequality. It is a bad tradeoff if the goal is to reduce income inequality. |
| Lewis Sage | Baldwin Wallace University | Agree | 6 | |
| Dean Snyder | Antioch College | Agree | 7 | |
| Melissa Thomasson | Miami University | Agree | 7 | |
| Thomas Traynor | Wright State University | Agree | 7 | I would more strongly agree if this question was "all else is equal" |
| Ejindu Ume | Miami University | Strongly Disagree | 9 | |
| Andy Welki | John Carroll University | Agree | 8 | |
| Kathryn Wilson | Kent State University | Agree | 7 | |
| Rachel Wilson | Wittenberg University | Agree | 8 |