Fact of the Week: Access to Broadband Internet Increases Intergenerational Mobility by up to 12.3 Percent

Source: Erlend Nordrum, "Bits of Opportunity: Broadband Internet and Intergenerational Income Mobility," (working paper, Faculty of Computer Science, Engineering, and Economics, Østfold University College, University of Oslo, 2025).

Commentary: The invention and adoption of broadband Internet have been crucial in enhancing productivity and driving global economic growth. However, it has also been viewed as a skill-biased technological change, meaning that broadband Internet decreases socio-economic mobility by further advantaging individuals with high levels of income and human capital, while reducing opportunities for those with less wealth. However, a report by Erlend Nordrum counters this claim. The report assesses the intergenerational mobility of individuals in Norway before and after the swift roll-out of broadband Internet in the early 2000s and finds that broadband increases mobility. Nordrum finds that income rank increased by between 6 and 12.3 percent between fathers and sons in Norway after the roll-out of broadband. These findings indicate that broadband access does not decrease economic mobility but rather increases economic opportunities for all individuals, regardless of parental socioeconomic status.