Using unique data from a systematic roll-out of broadband infrastructure in rural areas, we provide evidence on the impact of high-speed internet via broadband on three main sectors of economy: retail, agriculture, and manufacturing. Our instrumental variable model, which relies upon the timing of the roll-out at the first stage, shows that in general broadband access does not foster economic growth, but positively affects the retail sector, with no effect on the manufacturing and agricultural sectors. We also find that the biggest effects are found for speeds below 10 Mbps. We supplement our findings by exploring potential mechanisms that could drive the results.

使用来自农村地区系统性宽带基础设施部署的独特数据，我们提供了有关宽带高速互联网对三个主要经济部门的影响的证据：零售、农业和制造业。我们依赖于第一阶段推出时间的工具变量模型表明，总体而言，宽带接入不会促进经济增长，但会对零售业产生积极影响，而对制造业和农业部门没有影响。我们还发现，低于 10 Mbps 的速度影响最大。我们通过探索可能推动结果的潜在机制来补充我们的发现。