Study Links Broadband Adoption to Lower 'Time Poverty'
The effect was strongest among women, suggesting that reliable internet access could help reduce everyday logistical burdens
WASHINGTON, August 31, 2026 - Higher community broadband adoption is associated with less time spent waiting for goods and services, a key measure of a term called “time poverty,” according to a soon-to-be-published study in the academic journal Telecommunications Policy.
Authors Mattia Caldarulo, Gregory Porumbescu, and Andrea Hetling integrated broadband data with 14 years of American Time Use Survey records and estimated that community‑level adoption eases time poverty by enabling more efficient online access to daily tasks.
