A new study looking at Internet access in the United States has found that there is an alarming gap in speeds between states. Evaluating more than 21 million IP addresses, the research found that online services were far from equal. Monash University researchers, including Dr. Klaus Ackermann, senior professor of econometrics and business statistics, Simon Angus and Paul Raschky, associate professors of economics, and research assistant Hayley Lock, found that Oklahoma, Iowa, and West Virginia had the same worst internet latency speeds. , a large drop in quality from the 119% top performing states, New Hampshire and Delaware. With the coronavirus pandemic forcing many businesses to allow their employees to work remotely, latency is a crucial factor in being able to use video, teleconferencing, and other communication applications. In states with high latency, organizations may have a hard time adjusting to the "new normal."
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It is interesting to note that the researchers' findings also have a political dimension. Latency gaps mean that not all voters in the United States have the same access to information online. Updates on presidential debates and information about polling places can be harder for people in some states to find than others. Among the 15 states with the worst online latency, the study found, nine generally vote Republican, two generally vote Democratic, and four are swing states. "In Iowa, our results suggest somewhat depressingly that the bottom 1% of users actually receive packets of Internet content as if it were redirected to Australia and vice versa before displaying it on the screen," he said. said Dr. Ackermann. “A latency rate of 400 ms or more is about 0,4 seconds. That may not sound like much, but keep in mind that human speech is typically 150 words per minute, which equates to about 0,4 seconds or less per word. So basically the Iowa user will have problems with any synchronous activity online as they will be more than a word behind everyone. This correlates to an overall bad internet experience. "