Creating public value with municipal Wi-Fi networks: a bottom-up methodology
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/DPRG-12-2019-0107 |
| Published date | 17 February 2023 |
| Date | 17 February 2023 |
| Pages | 77-103 |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management,Information management & governance,Information policy |
| Author | Jenneke van den Velden,Bert M. Sadowski |
Creating public value with municipal Wi-Fi
networks: a bottom-up methodology
Jenneke van den Velden and Bert M. Sadowski
Abstract
Purpose –The purpose of this paper is evaluate the public value of municipal Wi-Fi networks by
examining their costs and benefits. Increasing attention has been focused on the digital divide, i.e.
inequalitiesin digital access, use and benefits, to a lesser extenton technologies providing opportunities
to overcomethese inequalities. Different theoreticaltraditions have approached the problem of thedigital
divide, this research represents a synthesis by combining a bottom-up approach to calculating the
benefitsof municipal Wi-Fi networks with an in-depth analysisof the digital divide in Europe.
Design/methodology/approach –After a systematic literature review, the paper uses a bottom-up
methodologyto evaluate the public value of a municipal Wi-Fi networkby quantifying its potential benefits
and costs. In addition,it includes different types of users based on the access opportunitiesavailable to
them. It develops different scenariosfor these users depending on the connection alternatives and the
digitalskills available across European countries.
Findings –By using data from the euro-28, the paper shows that, in general, the private value of a
municipal Wi-Fi network is negative, the public value is positive. However, a greater public value is
depending on the extent to which the benefits can be attributed to expectations about the arrival and
usage of e-governmentservices.
Research limitations/implications –Based on the quantitative analysis, the authors suggest that
municipal Wi-Fi networkscan provide the potential to bridge the digital divide.To generate public value,
these networkshave to be driven by a strong need fore-government services.
Practical implications –However, important factors in the adoption of these services are related to
digitalskills available in the particular region.
Social implications –In addition, public investment is required to stimulate the growth of broadband
infrastructurein a complementary manner to enablepublic wireless networks.
Originality/value –The paper combines new insights into the cost calculations of municipal Wi-Fi
networkswith socioeconomic data on digital skillsto examine different types of users.
Keywords Digital Divide, Public Value, E-government, Municipal Wi-Fi networks
Paper type Research paper
1. Introduction
In the twofold drive to fulfill the objectives of the digital agenda and to better provide e-
government services to the public, the European Commission (EC) developed its
broadband connectivity strategy as a way to reduce the digital divide in a stepwise fashion
by 2030 (European Commission, 2010,2015)while the e-government initiative was aimed at
improving the participation of citizens in public affairs (European Commission, 2016). Even
if the EC explicitly recognized that both program agendas were complementary and
government services are a key factorin fostering broadband connectivity, joint programs in
both areas have rather been scarce. When the “Wi-Fi for Europe” (WiFi4EU) initiative
became a key element within the digital “Gigabit Society” strategy, it became obvious that
European Commission actually did not have common strategy to promote wireless
connectivity in public places (Navı
´o-Marco et al.,2019). In this context, the paper provides
empirical evidence on the role of public services in promoting participation of its citizens in
Jenneke van den Velden is
based at Department of
Central Information
Technology,
Rijkswaterstaat, Utrecht,
The Netherlands.
Bert M. Sadowski is based
at Department of Industrial
Engineering and Innovation
Sciences, Eindhoven
University of Technology,
Eindhoven, The
Netherlands.
Received 20 December 2019
Revised 31 August 2020
31 December 2020
17 April 2021
18 April 2022
Accepted 7 September 2022
There has been not external
funding for this project. The
authors acknowledge the kind
support and the opportunity to
undertake parts of this research
at DG Connectivity.
DOI 10.1108/DPRG-12-2019-0107 VOL. 25 NO. 2 2023, pp. 77-103, ©Emerald Publishing Limited, ISSN 2398-5038 jDIGITAL POLICY, REGULATION AND GOVERNANCE jPAGE 77
public affairs while driving at the same time wireless connectivity as a way to reduce digital
inequality in different countriesin the European Union.
As research on municipal wireless networks has shown that government intervention might
be warranted to bridge the digital divide (Gillett et al.,2004;Tapia et al.,2006), an
increasing number of studies have examined the viability of these networks by accounting
for the costs and benefits within the broadband industry (Verheijen, 2007;Navı
´o-Marco
et al.,2019
). Recently studies have pointed at indirect benefits generated outside the
industry, which are at least equally important to characterize the viability of these networks
(Van der Wee et al., 2015). These indirect effects can be derived from the usage of
e-government, i.e. the use of information and communications technologies (ICTs) by
government agencies for providing information and services (Rooks et al., 2017). In this
way, the benefits for users of municipal wireless networks are not only related to the
demand in accessing and using a variety of telecommunication services, but also to the
needs of citizens in communicatingand using e-government services.
Since their emergence, wireless networks have been hailed as technologies that are ableto
bridge the digital divide, i.e. inequalities in internet access, internet use and benefits from
internet use (Gunasekaran and Harmantzis, 2008;Navı
´o-Marco et al., 2019). The digital
divide is rooted in the availability of different forms of digital skills across countries and
regions (van Dijk, 2005;Van Deursen and Van Dijk, 2014), which is reflected in differences,
in particular in the use of e-government services(Van Deursen and van Dijk, 2009). Wireless
networks are able to provide userswith better access to and improved use of e-government
services. Users benefit from these services due to greater accountability and transparency,
decreasing costs and more options to participate in local government activities (Rooks
et al.,2017
). In contrast to benefits derived from the usage of ICT services in other sectors
such as health or energy, the benefits of municipal e-government services canbe captured
by the whole user community and are less user-specific.
The paper examines the extent to which municipal Wi-Fi network are a viable option to
overcome the digital divide and to create public value by usinge-government services. The
reasons for choosing e-government as a driver for economic value are that the government
can act as a driver to initiate the establishment of high-speed broadband infrastructure and
provide (in case it is needed) cofinancing. In contrast to a number of earlier studies on the
structure and dynamics of wireless networks (Gunasekaran and Harmantzis, 2008;Casey
and To
¨yli, 2012;Kang and Downing, 2015), the paper is aimed at examining public value of
municipal wireless networks by linking it to availability of e-government services and the
digital skills of the users.
In the following, the paper examines the existing literature on the extent to which e-
government services can bridge the digital divide and on the technological opportunities
municipal wireless networks provide with respect to providing these services (Section 2).
Afterwards, the paper will provide the conceptual model and the bottom-up methodology
used to model municipal wireless networks (Section 3). Subsequently, the paper will
represent and discuss the empirical results generated by model. It will develop different
scenarios for municipal wireless networks depending on different socioeconomic
assumptions (Section 4). In the finalpart, the paper will put the results in a broader context,
derive some conclusions and provide recommendations for future research and policy
(Section 5).
2. Municipal wireless networks, e-government services and the digital divide in the
European Union
2.1 Promoting connectivity within the European Union: the WiFi4EU scheme
Over the past 10 years, the European Commission has becoming active in starting a
number of policy initiatives to promote connectivity in the digital economy, in particular in
PAGE 78 jDIGITAL POLICY, REGULATION AND GOVERNANCE jVOL. 25 NO. 2 2023
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